Grizzlies Win Eighth Straight; Down Clippers 123-108
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points, Desmond Bane added 23 and the Memphis Grizzlies tied a franchise record with their eighth straight win, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 123-108 on Saturday.
It is the fifth time in Memphis' history and first since 2015 it has won eight straight. The Grizzlies prevailed despite missing All-Star point guard Ja Morant, who sat out due to left thigh soreness. They were also without coach Taylor Jenkins after he entered health and safety protocols.
Memphis has also won 11 of its last 12 road games ,with the only loss during that stretch coming on Dec. 23 vs. Golden State.
Marcus Morris Sr. had 29 points for the Clippers, who have dropped three straight and four of their last five to fall two games under .500 at 19-21. Reggie Jackson added 18.
The Grizzlies trailed by 12 late in the first quarter and were down 44-35 with 9:11 remaining in the second on Nicolas Batum's 3-pointer. The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 31-12 the remainder of the first half.
Jackson had 10 points in the quarter for Memphis, which had runs of 16-4 during a three-minute span midway through the quarter and 8-0 at the end of the half.
The Clippers jumped out to a 32-20 lead on Morris' 3-pointer with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter. Morris scored 13 and Jackson added 10 in the first as LA led 36-28 at the end of the period.
LA trailed by 14 late in the third quarter, but scored eight straight points to get back into the game. Memphis' Killian Tillie thwarted any hopes of a comeback though with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That started a 13-2 Grizzlies spurt to put it out of reach.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis has an NBA-best 10 double-digit comebacks this season. ... Dillon Brooks started but sustained an ankle injury during the first quarter and did not return. He scored two points in seven minutes. ... Brandon Clarke had 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds off the bench, including a dunk off Jackson's alley-oop pass to make it 62-56. ... De'Anthony Melton had a career-best 11 rebounds off the bench.
Clippers: Ivica Zubac, who missed the last four games while in health and safety protocols, returned to the lineup with eight points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. He also collected his 2,000th career rebound during the second half.
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