The Los Angeles Clippers played above the rim, not enough to live up to their Lob City moniker but enough to beat Memphis at its own rebounding game.
Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 23 points, Eric Bledsoe had 15 and the Clippers dominated the boards in a 112-91 victory over the Grizzlies in their Western Conference playoff opener on Saturday.
Chauncey Billups scored 14 points, and Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford had 13 apiece on a night when Blake Griffin was held to 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left. The high-flying Clippers had just one dunk, but enjoyed a 47-23 advantage on the glass.
''I just decided not to dunk that often,'' Paul said, jokingly. ''Just shoot floaters. I don't know what Blake's problem was.''
Griffin bantered back, saying, ''I just wanted to foul.''
''They're tough inside and in the end our guys made shots. We don't live for the dunk. It just happens sometimes - a lot of the time,'' he said.
Just not this time.
Griffin missed a dunk in the first quarter, when Tony Allen and Ed Davis had Memphis' only two. DeAndre Jordan's driving one-handed slam midway through the fourth was the Clippers' first, and the big man's first and only basket of the game.
''We were able to get in front of them before they take off,'' said Jerryd Bayless, who led the Grizzlies with 19 points.
Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 23 points, Eric Bledsoe had 15 and the Clippers dominated the boards in a 112-91 victory over the Grizzlies in their Western Conference playoff opener on Saturday.
Chauncey Billups scored 14 points, and Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford had 13 apiece on a night when Blake Griffin was held to 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left. The high-flying Clippers had just one dunk, but enjoyed a 47-23 advantage on the glass.
''I just decided not to dunk that often,'' Paul said, jokingly. ''Just shoot floaters. I don't know what Blake's problem was.''
Griffin bantered back, saying, ''I just wanted to foul.''
''They're tough inside and in the end our guys made shots. We don't live for the dunk. It just happens sometimes - a lot of the time,'' he said.
Just not this time.
Griffin missed a dunk in the first quarter, when Tony Allen and Ed Davis had Memphis' only two. DeAndre Jordan's driving one-handed slam midway through the fourth was the Clippers' first, and the big man's first and only basket of the game.
''We were able to get in front of them before they take off,'' said Jerryd Bayless, who led the Grizzlies with 19 points.