NBA: Ja Morant, Grizzlies sweep Clippers
Ziaire Williams #8 and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrate against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 31, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
Ja Morant scored 30 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. recorded 26 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies cruised to a season sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers with a 135-109 win Tuesday in Memphis, Tenn.
Morant shot 12 of 19 to pace the Grizzlies to a 51.5 percent shooting night (53 of 103), and he extended his run of 30-point games to nine in the last 10 outings.
It was Jackson’s third consecutive game scoring at least 21 points, and his second double-double in the last three.
THIS JJJ PUTBACK 💥
He's got 17 & 9 at the half on League Pass: https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa pic.twitter.com/qQLzbFIPyL
— NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2022
Six Grizzlies scored in double figures, including three off the bench: Brandon Clarke with 18 points, Kyle Anderson with 11 and John Konchar with 10. Ziaire Williams, who started at small forward, added another 10 points.
Isaiah Hartenstein shot 7 of 11 and led the Clippers with 19 points. Norman Powell scored 16 points, but he made just one field goal in the second half.
Robert Covington and Terance Mann both scored 14 points, Amir Coffey added 13 and Reggie Jackson chipped in 12.
Trailing 14-12 midway through the first quarter, the Grizzlies went on a 9-0 run that fueled an overall 26-13 final 7:38 of the period. Steven Adams scored five of his nine points in the initial 9-0 burst, which gave Memphis a lead it never relinquished en route to a fourth and final win over Los Angeles this season.
The Grizzlies’ margin of victory over each of the four meetings increased from game to game, with wins of six, 12 and 15 points prior to Tuesday’s blowout.
The outcome was no longer in doubt by the third quarter, when Memphis outshot Los Angeles 14 of 24 to 7 of 19.
The Grizzlies’ lead swelled to as many as 34 points thanks in part to their overwhelming 78-46 edge scoring in the paint. Memphis also finished with a 22-8 advantage in fast-break points.
