|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- A late-season victory over
the Los Angeles Clippers had the Vancouver Grizzlies rewriting
their record book.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 24 points as the Grizzlies beat the
Clippers 86-78 Wednesday night and matched the franchise record
with their 22nd victory of the season.
The victory was the 100th in franchise history for the
Grizzlies. Vancouver also recorded franchise bests with its 15th
home triumph, its ninth victory since the All-Star break, and sixth victory
in 12 games against the Clippers.
"Sure we wanted to be better than last year," Grizzlies coach
Sidney Lowe said. "But the thing right now is to evaluate
ourselves. Are we getting better? If you focus on the little
things, the big things, like wins, will take care of themselves."
The victory was another sign of improved play for Vancouver, but
weighed against a season of turmoil, dominated by the likely
franchise move. That combination made it difficult for the team to
savor the victory.
"I guess it's a baby step," Abdur-Rahim said. "We're
crawling. I guess (breaking the franchise record for wins in a
season) is something to shoot for still."
The Grizzlies matched a franchise record by scoring 21 consecutive points in an 8:20 span in the third quarter.
Mike Bibby and backcourt mate Michael Dickerson shot a combined
8-for-12 from the field in the third. Bibby finished with 14 points
and 13 assists.
"There's been times when we've slacked off this year, but we
kept focused in the second half," said Bibby.
Vancouver scored the first eight points of the game, but the
Clippers substituted size for speed and went on a 14-2 run.
Los Angeles' reserves, who have played a large part in the
team's 14-14 record since Feb. 1, helped the Clippers to a 39-36
halftime lead. Los Angeles' reserves outscored their Vancouver
counterparts 15-6 in the first half.
The Grizzlies went on their record-matching outburst and opened
up a 14-point lead with 3:04 left in the third period.
"We played very good defense," Lowe said. "We were very
active. But the guy who really stood out was Bibby. He was
aggressive."
Los Angeles cut its deficit to 71-67 with 4:44 left before
consecutive baskets by Abdur-Rahim and Bibby built the lead back to
eight points for Vancouver.
"I'm not going be one of those coaches who said we played bad.
The other team made us play bad," Los Angeles coach Alvin Gentry
said. "But you can't let a team go on a 21-0 run and expect to
win. We've done this on the road before, where there's no margin
for error. We make a run back and get close but all they have to do
is make a basket."
Lamar Odom scored 18 for the Clippers, who fell to 8-30 on the
road.
Game notes
Los Angeles' Eric Piatkowski tied his personal season best
with his 106th 3-pointer in the first quarter. ... Tony Massenburg,
making his fourth consecutive start for the Grizzlies, had a
season-high 11 rebounds. ... The Clippers, outrebounded 48-31 by
Vancouver, dropped to 2-20 on the road when being outrebounded. ...
The three previous meetings between the teams had been decided by
an average of 4.5 points.... Erick Strickland of the Grizzlies sat
out with a strained left knee. ... A streaker was intercepted by
arena security before reaching the court at the start of the second
half.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Clippers Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 86
Washington 84
Phoenix 103
Charlotte 94
Toronto 97
Cleveland 94
Philadelphia 90
Detroit 84
Orlando 108
Boston 101
Minnesota 83
Portland 79
Vancouver 86
LA Clippers 78
Milwaukee 108
Golden State 78
|
