Scotty Pippen Jr. is giving the Memphis Grizzlies the boost and direction they need whenever star guard Ja Morant is sidelined.
Such was the case Saturday night in the team’s road win over the Atlanta Hawks, and it could be again Monday when the Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Clippers at home.
With Morant in Memphis to rest a sore back, which he hurt in the team’s lopsided victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Pippen stepped up at Atlanta as he has throughout the season.
Pippen provided 22 points and nine assists as the Grizzlies posted a wire-to-wire win against the Hawks.
If Morant is unable to go Monday night against the Clippers, Pippen will be there to guide the NBA’s highest-scoring offense at 123.1 points per game.
Against the Warriors, Morant fell hard to the court early in the third quarter while driving and contorting in close for a layup. He did not return, but after a brief trip to the locker room he came back to the bench and watched the remainder of the game.
Pippen’s presence is a luxury Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins doesn’t take for granted.
“He wants to compete, he wants to be out there as many minutes as possible,” Jenkins said. “But if it’s in small doses, or 32-plus (minutes against Atlanta), he’s going to give you max effort defensively.
“I thought he set a tone on the ball defensively. And he just really pushes the pace for the majority of the minutes he’s out there.”
After the Grizzlies dominated Golden State 144-93, they were up by as much as 29 points in the third quarter against Atlanta. They scored a season-high 73 first-half points against the Hawks and have 45 made 3-pointers in consecutive games, one off the NBA record. They made a franchise-record 27 3-pointers against Golden State.
The strong play is not just a recent development. Memphis has won 12 of its past 14 games and Pippen’s play has been key.
“He’s getting stops, his playmaking is getting better, he’s navigating pick-and-rolls, he’s building chemistry with Zach (Edey) and (Brandon Clarke),” Jenkins said of Pippen. “And he’s one of our guys who can really get to the paint consistently.”
Pippen is normally part of a Memphis bench that ranks first in the NBA in scoring. In the victory over Golden State, Santi Aldama had 21 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.
The Clippers are coming off a split of a two-game series in Dallas. After winning Thursday’s game 118-95, as the Mavericks played without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Clippers lost 113-97 on Saturday. Irving returned and had 15 points and six assists.
Norman Powell led the Clippers with 28 points and remains a strong candidate to become a first-time All-Star. He’s averaging a team-best 23.9 points per game, while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from beyond the arc following the offseason departures of Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
“He is certainly taking advantage of his opportunity of becoming a starter,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s scoring the basketball and shooting the ball (well) from 3 and from the free-throw line.”
The Clippers have yet to see Kawhi Leonard take the court this season because of a right knee injury. He won’t play Monday but is with the team and has been participating in recent contact practices. He could be back later in the week.
