The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the early stages of the NBA season.
Even so, the Clippers still are in the mix for an NBA Cup knockout-round berth when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
The Grizzlies also are still in the hunt entering the final night of West Group B play. The Clippers and Memphis are both 2-1, while the Los Angeles Lakers top the group at 3-0.
The loser will be eliminated, but the winner could move on depending upon other results throughout the league on Friday.
That might feel like an accomplishment for the Clippers considering they have lost 11 of their past 13 games and have just five wins in 18 games overall.
Kawhi Leonard recently returned from a 10-game absence and can see there is a lot of work needed after Los Angeles lost by an average of 16 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in his first two games back in the lineup.
“We got to turn it around. That’s the only thing we got to do,” said Leonard, who was sidelined due to ankle and foot injuries. “We still like to play the game, and now we just got to put some urgency in and try to win.”
Leonard averaged 19.5 points in the two games but just 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
The Clippers’ defense was soft on Tuesday in a 135-118 loss to the Lakers. Luka Doncic scored 43 points, Austin Reaves added 31, and the Lakers shot a sizzling 57.5% from the field.
“I think we got to start making it a little bit harder on the better offensive players on the other teams,” Leonard said.
James Harden, who has been filling it up for the Clippers, recorded 29 points and nine assists against the Lakers. He has topped 20 points in eight of the past nine games, including a season-best 55 in a 131-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
Los Angeles swept three games from Memphis last season and has won the past six meetings.
The Grizzlies, who have won three of their past four games, opened a four-game road trip with a 133-128 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. established season highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers, Jaylen Wells played splendidly and had a season-best 25 points, and Zach Edey added a season-high 21 points and matched his season best of 15 rebounds.
Wells is averaging 23.5 points over the past two games on 17-of-24 shooting. He was a season-best 5 of 6 from 3-point range against the Pelicans after making 4 of 8 against the Denver Nuggets two nights earlier.
The second-round pick in 2024 continues to perform like a first-rounder for the Grizzlies.
“He never seems like he’s rattled,” Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the win over New Orleans. “We noticed that already last season in his rookie season. He made big plays down the stretch in a lot of games, and he approaches every situation the same way. If there’s a trust-the-process guy, that’s Jaylen.”
Vince Williams Jr. registered a career-high 17 assists to tie for fifth-most in franchise history. The only Memphis players to have more are Mike Bibby (18 on three occasions) and record holder Jason Williams (19 in 2002).
Williams is running the offense while Ja Morant (calf) is sidelined. He also had 15 assists against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 20.
Morant will miss his sixth straight game on Friday.
