After three road losses in three nights earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Clippers return home to Staples Center on Saturday afternoon to face the Memphis Grizzlies in what could shape up to be a battle for home court advantage in the playoffs. Here are the details of Saturday afternoon's NBA contest:
Records: Clippers (26-21, .553, fifth in Western Conference); Grizzlies (25-20, .555, fourth in Western Conference)
Location: Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles
Time: Noon PDT
TV: Prime Ticket
Offensive Efficiency: Clippers, 107.6 points per 100 possessions (sixth in NBA); Grizzlies, 102.9 (20th)
Defensive Efficiency: Grizzlies, 101.2 (eighth); Clippers, 106.4 (23rd)
Home vs. Road: The Clippers are 15-8 at home this season, though they are just 5-6 in their last 11 games at Staples Center. Memphis is 9-13 on the road this season.
Series History: The Clippers have beaten the Grizzlies three straight times, including a 98-91 win in Los Angeles on January 26. This is the second of three meetings between the two teams this season.
Tough March: The Clippers are paying for their relatively tame early schedule with 20 games in March. So far this month, the Clippers are 6-9 and they are 7-12 over their last 19 games. The last NBA team to play 20 games in a single month was the Cincinnati Royals in February 1967.
Z-Bo is Back: After missing 37 games with a torn right MCL, Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph, a former Clipper, is now back with Memphis. Randolph has averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the four games he has played since returning from injury. Memphis was 23-14 (.622) without Randolph.
Tough March For CP3: Chris Paul has struggled shooting from distance this month, shooting 29.7% from three-point range (19 for 64), after making 44.2% of his shots from distance over his first 27 games of the season.
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