INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Six Clippers were in double figures on Wednesday night and they got a dominant win, 128-114 to improve to 2-0 against the Memphis Grizzlies on the season.
BOGI 🪣 pic.twitter.com/XC9m6wjmm2
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 13, 2025
It was also the debut of Bogdan Bogdanovic, and he played very solid in his 18 minutes, scoring 7 points on 3-4 shooting. The second unit needed an offensive boost and that is exactly what Bogdanovic provided, even without the Clippers newest acquisition Ben Simmons.
However the story of the night was Kawhi Leonard’s return to an elite level. He looked like the All-NBA 2nd team player that he was last season, scoring 25 points in 34 minutes to go along with 3 steals.
It's a KAWHILIGHT😳 pic.twitter.com/D11yAj6rgQ
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 13, 2025
Leonard has been looking to regain his touch and cut down on the mental mistake and loose handle. It looked like that was the focus for him on Wednesday night.
Even though the Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane had 23 points and 6 players were in double figures for Memphis. The depth of the Grizzlies team is something that is a bit underlooked when talking about some of the contenders in the Western Conference, so for the Clippers to take the first two games from them this season is crucial.
As it stands, the Clippers are the sixth seed with plenty of season left to go after the All-Star break, so any games that are for the taking to have head-to-head tiebreakers are worth playing hard for.
The effort was there, the grit was there, the energy was there and the stars showed up.
"Gotta give credit to the whole team" -Kris Dunn pic.twitter.com/ob2daMG6oA
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 13, 2025
Speaking of grit and energy, Kris Dunn started in place of Derrick Jones Jr. and had his best game of the season. A season-high 14 points on a perfect 4-4 from 3-point range and an insane 5 steals gave the Clippers a much needed boost in the starting lineup.
For some reason, this team has not been the best coming off of long rest, but after 3 days off, the Clippers looked sharp and focused with their game on both sides of the ball.
Now, the Clippers will incorporate Ben Simmons into their rotation and Kawhi Leonard will be out for the trip to Utah on the back-to-back on Thursday. Tipoff against the Jazz is at 6:00 PM PST.
