American shooting guard Desmond Bane scored a game-high 27 points and helped the Memphis Grizzlies hold off a furious rally by the Los Angeles Clippers to win 105-101 on Sunday afternoon. Memphis led by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, but the Clippers stormed back and tied the game at 84-84 with 6:38 left on Paul George’s 3-pointer. After trading punches and blows, the score was deadlocked at 98-all with 1:33 remaining after James Harden converted from beyond the arc. However, three free throws and a David Roddy layup gave the Grizzlies a five-point lead that they managed to maintain till the end and secure the win.
After going winless for nearly two weeks and behind by 11 points entering the fourth quarter against Memphis on Sunday, the Clippers’ sorely needed comeback finally gathered traction. And it happened unexpectedly, with James Harden, who was making his home debut as a Clipper, sitting out practically the entire fourth quarter.
Memphis won for the second time this season when the 25-year-old Bane made 10 of 24 shots and added six assists. Bismack Biyombo led the Grizzlies with 13 points and 12 rebounds as they shot 42 percent from the floor. Marcus Smart led the team with 17 points and seven assists. Los Angeles, on the other hand, fell to 0-4 with Harden’s 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting. George led the team with 26 points. Off the bench, Norman Powell scored 20 points. The Clippers connected on 37 of 85 attempts (43.5 percent).
Bane scored six points in the final 1:22 of the first half to help Memphis take a 52-45 lead into halftime. Bane led the Grizzlies with 11 points in the first half, while George topped all scorers with 12. With a 7-0 run to start the second half, Memphis opened a 14-point lead. George’s jumper stopped the bleeding, and Kawhi Leonard’s three cut the Clippers’ deficit to nine, but that was the closest they would get for the rest of the third quarter.
The Grizzlies entered the fourth quarter with a 79-68 lead. During a game-opening 19-7 run for Memphis, which led 33-20 after 12 minutes, Jacob Gilyard and Smart each scored a pair of 3-pointers. Los Angeles got out to a fast start in the second quarter, scoring 19 of the first 22 points to take a 39-36 lead. During the surge, George scored all 12 of his first-half points.
