Los Angeles Clippers (37-21) at Memphis Grizzlies (41-15), 8 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Memphis Grizzlies return home to the FedExForum Friday night and hope to get back into the win column when the Los Angeles Clippers come to town.
The Grizzlies completed a 2-2 road trip, which began with a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder before the All-Star break. Memphis beat the Portland Trail Blazers, then the Clippers on Monday, but fell to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, 102-90.
Zach Randolph paced Memphis with 20 points and Marc Gasol customarily filled the stat sheet, recording 14 points with seven rebounds and six assists. The Grizzlies backcourt of Mike Conley and Courtney Lee combined to score 21 points on 8-of-25 shooting.
"I thought we were lackadaisical as a team," Grizzlies forward Tony Allen said.
The Grizzlies led by one heading into the fourth. Sacramento flipped the script in the final quarter by keeping Memphis off the board for the first four-plus minutes. Meanwhile, DeMarcus Cousins scored the first seven points of the fourth as part of a 10-0 run.
The Grizzlies cut the deficit to five on a couple of occasions minutes later, but Rudy Gay dropped in a pair of jumpers around a 3-pointer that started an 11-2 run. Cousins capped the spurt with a layup that made it 99-85 with over two minutes on the clock and the Kings ended their lengthy losing streak to Memphis.
Against the Clippers on Monday, a costly Chris Paul turnover helped Memphis to a 90-87 victory. It was the Grizzlies eighth win in the last nine meetings versus the Clips.
LA began a four-game road trip with a 110-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. That's two losses in a row following the tough home setback to Memphis.
Paul had 22 points and 14 assists for the Clippers, who have lost two in a row on the heels of a four-game winning streak that included a win over Houston prior to the All-Star break.
Jamal Crawford led Los Angeles with 24 points, DeAndre Jordan filled the stat sheet with 22 points and 19 rebounds and J.J. Redick scored 15 points.
"I feel like we let them get in the middle too much," said Jordan. "That opened up their 3s."
The Rockets snapped a six-game losing streak to the Clippers, taking the lead for good on Corey Brewer's 3 a minute into the fourth quarter. It was part of a 15-1 run to open the quarter that gave Houston a 13-point lead with 7 1/2 minutes left and the Clippers were never within a possession of the lead after that.
The Grizzlies are 5-1 in their last six at home versus the Clippers.