Brand leads Clippers to win over Grizzlies

Sam Cassell scored 21 points and dished out 14 assists for the Clippers, who won their second in a row and fourth of six. Chris Kaman added 12 points and nine rebounds for LA, and Corey Maggette added 11 points and nine boards. Cuttino Mobley scored 11 points for the Clippers.

Pau Gasol scored 27 points and grabbed seven boards for Memphis, which has lost four of five. Rudy Gay scored 17 points, and Mike Miller scored 13 points for the Grizzlies. Hakim Warrick and Chucky Atkins contributed 10 points apiece off the bench for Memphis.

Memphis trailed by double-digits for the entire second half, never threatening in a game that was essentially over at halftime. The Grizzlies were down 69-49 after three quarters, on their way to the 21-point loss.

Brand scored nine in the first quarter, including a dunk with 42 seconds left that put the Clippers ahead 24-23, but a Roberts layup and an Atkins three at the buzzer sent the Grizzlies into the second quarter ahead 28-24.

The Clippers exploded in the second quarter, and the Memphis offense was nonexistent as LA took control of the game. The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies 39-12 in the second.

A 14-5 stretch was closed by a Maggette layup giving LA a 38-33 lead midway through the quarter. After two Gasol free throws that made it 38-35, LA ripped off 15-3 run, taking a 53-37 lead after a three-point play by Mobley with four and a half minutes left in the first half.

LA closed the quarter with eight straight points, taking a 63-40 lead into the break after a Cassell layup with two seconds left in the half.

Game Notes

The Grizzlies fell to 2-18 on the road...LA outscored Memphis in the paint 60-38...24 of Brand’s 34 points came in the first half...Memphis hit only 5- of-20 from behind the arc.