LOS ANGELES — Reggie Evans, an afterthought in the Los Angeles Clippers’ frontline rotation, laid in the right place at the right time much to the Grizzlies’ chagrin.
About three minutes remained in the Grizzlies’ embarrassing 101-85 loss Saturday afternoon at Staples Center when Evans summed up the day. Evans was lying flat on his back as Bobby Simmons’ missed 3-pointer fell into his arms.
Griz forward Zach Randolph stood flat-footed at Evans’ feet, watching the ball land in the hands of a player rendered immobile. It was Evans’ only offensive rebound in the game, and he didn’t even have to work for it.
Meanwhile, the Griz spent the matinee just being offensive, and seemed to lay down in their fifth loss in six games.
“It just felt like that’s what kind of game it was,” Griz forward Rudy Gay said of Evans’ improbable rebound. “They got the loose balls. We got dunked on and everything else.”
Memphis fell behind by 16 points after another sluggish start, and never seriously threatened. Their defense continued to be missing in action and the Griz looked selfish on offense given the long stretches of one-on-one play.
“One positive thing is we shot 60 percent from the 3-point line,” Griz coach Lionel Hollins said with sarcasm.
The already lopsided affair certainly would have been laughable if not for the Grizzlies’ 9-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc. Memphis’ largest deficit was 23 points.
“Right now, we’re not bringing it the way we’re capable of,” Griz guard O.J. Mayo said. “We have to have respect for the game and respect for each other.”
The Griz spent most of the game allowing the Clippers to go on big runs. Los Angeles’ 16-4 spurt, powered by a pair of 3-pointers, allowed it to take a 77-55 advantage late in the third.
The Griz did little to disrupt the Clippers’ offense. Memphis only forced 11 turnovers and settled into a zone defense to start the fourth quarter. That also proved to be futile.
“We’ve got to get back to believing in each other on defense,” Griz guard Tony Allen said. “We have to be able to come up with consecutive stops. That’s what it comes down to.”
Los Angeles not only snapped a three-game skid but they found relief for the negativity surrounding embattled coach Vinny Del Negro.
“It was very important to get a win. You almost forget what it feels like after you lose like we’ve been losing,” Clippers guard Chris Paul said. “Our defense had been horrendous for a few games, just giving up everything — 3s, layups, free throws — but today we put it all together.”
The Griz couldn’t be more discombobulated.
“They played with a sense of urgency and they wanted it more than we did,” Griz guard Mike Conley said. “We’ve got to get it together. And get it together as fast as we can.”
Turning point
One team has to be competitive for there to be a turning point. The Griz allowed the Clippers to shoot 58 percent in the first quarter. Memphis missed nine of 15 shots. The Griz didn’t match the Clippers’ energy in the opening period. Clippers forward Bobby Simmons beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer that capped a 12-0 run and put the Griz in a 33-17 hole. Memphis got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Hot topic
Reports swirled around Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, who is said to be on the hot seat because of an apparent disconnect with his team. Del Negro met with general manager Neil Olshey after the team returned home from a 0-3 road trip. But Del Negro declined to share details of the conversation.
“All the speculation, all the sources, all that stuff, I don’t spend a lot of time on that,” Del Negro said. “… We haven’t been playing well, and I’m the head coach. So that responsibility goes everywhere.”
That’s what he said
“It’s not Coach Hollins’ fault one bit. He’s proven that what he says works as long as we give 100 percent. As players we’re not having his back all the way. We’re giving up on ourselves and it’s hurting everybody.” — Mayo, talking about the players’ need to take responsibility for their struggles.
That’s what he said, too
“It’s very disturbing because we don’t have a rhythm. We can’t come out and score 17 points in the first quarter. We have to do a better job with our bench play and with our starters. Everybody needs to do a better job of guarding their own man.” — Hollins, talking about the Grizzlies’ slow starts.
The other guys
Blake Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 19 points and 13 assists. Paul had just one turnover and was responsible for Conley playing in foul trouble all afternoon.
“Chris did a good job of taking over the game,” Hollins said.
Roster and rotation
The Grizzlies had to rely on guards Gilbert Arenas and Jeremy Pargo more than expected because starter Mike Conley logged a foul-plagued 22 minutes. Arenas and Pargo combined to shoot 2 for 8 with two assists and three turnovers in a combined 27 minutes. Hollins still hasn’t settled on a tight rotation given he played 10 guys more than 12 minutes.
Miscellany
Mayo was called for a flagrant one foul on Griffin as he drove the lane to get a bounce pass from Paul with 48.3 seconds left in the third. … The Griz have dropped four straight games to the Clippers. … Paul picked up two steals and has finished with at least one steal in 52 consecutive games, the league’s longest active streak. Conley also had two steals and leads the league in that category.
Records
The Grizzlies are 25-21 with the schedule getting more and more difficult. They’ll finish this trip against the Lakers and then return home to face a scrappy Minnesota squad before going back on the road for three straight games. In beginning a stretch of five home games in eight days, the Clippers (27-21) ended their first three-game losing streak of the season. “The West is really tough,” Hollins said. “One day you’re in third and the next day you’re in sixth. We’re all beating up on each other.”
Got next
Grizzlies at Lakers, 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
— Ronald Tillery: (901) 529-2353
Not much else going on in the NBA world today.
