James Harden recorded 30 points and nine assists and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to five games with a 128-108 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Inglewood, Calif.
Ivica Zubac produced 17 points and 10 rebounds, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 16 points off the bench and Norman Powell added 14 as the Clippers improved to 8-1 since March 5 while extending their home winning streak to eight games.
Down by six at halftime, Los Angeles used a 14-3 run at the start of the third quarter to move in front and outscored Memphis 36-16 in the period.
The Clippers (40-30) won without head coach Tyronn Lue, who was out for the fifth time in the past seven games with back discomfort. Assistant coach Brian Shaw was in charge of the team.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points and Santi Aldama added 16 for the Grizzlies (43-28), who were without star Ja Morant for the fourth consecutive game because of shoulder and hamstring injuries.
Scotty Pippen Jr. and Luke Kennard each scored 15 points and Jay Huff had 13 for Memphis, which lost for the fourth time in five games and fell to 0-3 at the start of a five-game road trip.
Despite the loss, the Grizzlies remained in fifth place in the Western Conference, while the Clippers remained tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh place.
Los Angeles shot 51.3 percent from the floor in the first half, but Memphis still led 66-60 at the break thanks to scoring 21 points off eight Clippers turnovers.
Los Angeles’ surge at the start of the second half opened a 74-69 lead, as Powell capped the spree with a 3-pointer and an inside hoop. The Clippers opened up a 79-71 edge, and they took a 96-82 advantage into the fourth quarter when Harden scored the period’s final seven points.
The Clippers shot 65 percent in the third as Harden scored 12 points.
After he was originally considered questionable due to lower back soreness, the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane went 3 of 7 from the floor in 33 minutes and scored 10 points.
Bogdanovic shot 6 of 9 from the floor and has gone 14 of 17 (82.4 percent) over the past two games. The Clippers finished at 57.7 percent in the game.
–Field Level Media
