Field Level Media
24 Feb 2020, 03:55 GMT+10
Kawhi Leonard said the Los Angeles Clippers weren't ready to play Saturday before losing at home to the Sacramento Kings. He doesn't expect that to be the case Monday when the Clippers host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Leonard had 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but he and the Clippers managed only two points in the final six minutes in a 112-103 defeat.
"I just don't feel like we were locked in early and it just took too late," Leonard said to the Los Angeles Times. "It was too late for us to turn that switch on."
It was the third straight loss for Los Angeles, which looked rusty after being off nine days during the All-Star break. Against the Kings, the Clippers missed 20 of their first 24 shots from the floor and managed a season-low 13 points in the first quarter. Sacramento led the game until the fourth quarter, when Los Angeles briefly grabbed the lead.
However, after newly acquired guard Reggie Jackson converted a 3-pointer with 6:03 remaining, the Clippers didn't score again until Leonard slammed an alley-oop pass from Marcus Morris with 57.5 seconds left. By then, the outcome had been practically decided.
"At the end of a game, there's going to be times you're not going to score but you can't let the other team score," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
The Clippers played without two of their key performers -- Paul George (strained hamstring) and Patrick Beverley (groin injury). Jackson, who was waived by the Detroit Pistons last week, and Morris, acquired in a three-team trade Feb. 6 and playing just his fourth game with the Clippers, started in their places.
In his first game with the Clippers, Jackson finished with eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes. After a scoreless first half, Morris finished with six points, two rebounds and five turnovers in 32 minutes.
Lou Williams had 24 points and Montrezl Harrell added 16 for the Clippers, but it wasn't enough.
The Grizzlies fell 117-105 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Josh Jackson came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points for the Grizzlies, who have dropped the first two of their four-game road swing. Ja Morant had 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting but committed five turnovers.
The Grizzlies rallied from a 25-point third-quarter deficit and closed to within four in the fourth quarter before fading.
"Guys are turning it up after the All-Star break," guard Dillon Brooks, who finished with seven points on 3-of-14 shooting before fouling out, told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. "We got to hold our own and come out every single game like we came out in the second half. It's intensity, focus, we just need to lock in."
The Grizzlies will have to raise their play without power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who sustained a sprained left knee late in the second quarter against the Lakers. Jackson will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the club said Sunday.
Jackson is the team's second-leading scorer at 16.9 points per game.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Long Beach Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Long Beach Star.
More InformationNEW YORK, New YorK - U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday, with gains and losses modest, as investors and traders weighed up the escalation...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Retail sales dropped sharply in May as consumer spending slowed after a strong start to the year, primarily due to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Mitsubishi Motors is the latest automaker to raise prices in the United States, joining a growing list of car companies...
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: Eli Lilly is making a bold play in cardiovascular gene therapy, announcing plans to acquire its partner Verve...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks made only minor moves in both directions,Thursday, as investors fretted about the Israel-Iran conflict...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A quiet shift inside the Trump administration has stalled a key diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Russia toward...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Since taking office in December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei has implemented sweeping austerity...
LEMBATA, Indonesia: Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted dramatically on June 18, generating substantial ash and smoke plumes....
MADRID, Spain: A routine oversight by Spain's power grid operator, REE, has been identified as the trigger behind the large-scale blackout...
WASHINGTON, DC - In a bid to defuse speculation, U.S. President Donald Trump says he will make his decision on whether to have the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A quiet shift inside the Trump administration has stalled a key diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Russia toward...
NEW DELHI, India: Indian investigators are examining the black boxes from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to determine the cause of a catastrophic...