National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 117, Memphis 105
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #34 Kevin Cutler, #50 Gediminas Petraitis, #54 Ray Acosta
Attendance: 1782

Playing short-handed and trailing by as many as 18 points, the Los Angeles Clippers fought back to earn a 117-105 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Luke Kennard led Los Angeles with a season-high 28 points, and he grabbed seven rebounds. Marcus Morris Sr. contributed 25 points. Terance Mann totaled 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Ivica Zubac added 18 points and seven boards.

The Clippers (42-19) finished with four of their five starters in double figures. Los Angeles posted its third consecutive win and earned its 10th victory in 11 games. Los Angeles outscored Memphis 34-20 in the third quarter to take the lead for good.

Ja Morant paced the Grizzlies (29-28) with 22 points and four assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 points, Kyle Anderson added 12 and Desmond Bane chipped in 10 as Memphis fell to 2-2 on a seven-game road trip.

Jackson was making his first appearance in a game since last August. He had not played since sustaining a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery in the NBA's Orlando-area bubble last year.

Jackson was on a minutes restriction and came off the bench. He added eight rebounds and four blocked shots in 18 minutes.

The Grizzlies also got back Dillon Brooks. The guard missed the team's Monday loss to the Denver Nuggets with thigh soreness. Memphis center Jonas Valanciunas did not play Wednesday because he remains in the concussion protocol.

The Clippers had a handful of players sitting out the second of a back-to-back games after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on the road Tuesday.

Los Angeles prevailed despite playing without Paul George (rest), Kawhi Leonard (right foot soreness), Reggie Jackson (rest), Rajon Rondo (right wrist inflammation), Patrick Beverley (left hand fracture) and Serge Ibaka (back tightness).

Averaging a league-leading 56.4 points a game in the paint, Memphis finished with a 42-26 advantage over the Clippers in that stat. Both teams shot exactly 45.2 percent from the floor, but Los Angeles made 27 of 36 free throws while the Grizzlies were only 16 of 23 at the line.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   L.A. Clippers
Ja Morant 22 Scoring Luke Kennard 28
Ja Morant 4 Assists Yogi Ferrell 7
Xavier Tillman 12 Rebounds DeMarcus Cousins 10
Jaren Jackson Jr. 6 Free Throws Made Amir Coffey 6
Xavier Tillman 2 Steals Nicolas Batum 1
Jaren Jackson Jr. 4 Blocks Ivica Zubac 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 105 45.2 13-30 16-23 19 42 8 6 13
L.A. Clippers 117 45.2 14-27 27-36 28 43 5 4 13
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Clippers have a W/L % of .634 after a win and .800 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .536 after a loss.