National Basketball Association
Memphis 92, L.A. Clippers 80
When: 9:30 PM ET, Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials:
#48 Scott Foster, #22 Bill Spooner, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance:
18119
By SportsDirect Inc.
GRIZZLIES 92, CLIPPERS 80: Marc Gasol scored 21 points and host Memphis staved off elimination after withstanding another furious comeback by Los Angeles.
Zach Randolph added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies opened a 24-point third-quarter lead and held off the Clippers to cut the series deficit to 3-2.
Game 6 will be played Friday night in Los Angeles.
The Clippers may have lost more than just a game. All-Star point guard Chris Paul sustained a strained groin and sat out the final 84 seconds and Blake Griffin hyperextended his left knee, although he remained in the game.
Mo Williams had 20 points and Paul scored 19 for Los Angeles, which used a 24-6 run to cut a 24-point deficit to 81-75 midway through the fourth quarter, conjuring up memories of Game 1, when the Grizzlies blew a 27-point lead.
Mike Conley and Rudy Gay hit back-to-back baskets to push the lead back to 10 and Los Angeles could get no closer than six points with just under a minute left.
Griffin had his first playoff double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but had a scary moment when he was fouled by Gasol on a drive to the basket and came up clutching his left knee late in the third quarter.
Memphis seemingly had blown the game open, ripping off 10 straight points to boost the lead to 75-51 with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Paul brought the Clippers back by scoring 10 points in a 14-2 run to close the quarter, cutting the deficit to 77-65 entering the fourth.
Memphis rode a combined 27 points from Randolph and Gasol to power its way to a 36-22 first-quarter lead and led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Grizzlies have won 13 of their last 14 games at FedEx Center. The only loss was Game 1 against the Clippers, in which they unraveled after leading by 24 in the fourth quarter. ... Los Angeles was slapped with five technical fouls - four in the third quarter - and has 12 for the series. ... Only eight teams in NBA history that have rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. The last to accomplish it was the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006. ... Gasol had averaged only nine points in the three previous games and attempted a combined nine shots in the two losses in Los Angeles.
Top Game Performances
| L.A. Clippers |
|
Memphis |
|
Mo Williams 20 |
Scoring |
Marc Gasol 23 |
|
Chris Paul 4 |
Assists |
Mike Conley 6 |
|
Blake Griffin 11 |
Rebounds |
Zach Randolph 10 |
|
Chris Paul 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Marc Gasol 7 |
|
Chris Paul 4 |
Steals |
Tony Allen 2 |
|
DeAndre Jordan 2 |
Blocks |
Tony Allen 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| L.A. Clippers
|
80 |
37.1 |
7-24 |
21-29 |
11 |
35 |
5 |
7 |
14 |
| Memphis
|
92 |
44.4 |
0-6 |
28-34 |
14 |
42 |
5 |
6 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
Memphis will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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L.A. Clippers will play their next game at home against Memphis. The Clippers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
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