Three players the Clippers acquired in the offseason -- Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Rasual Butler -- have certainly had their moments in helping the team get to an 8-10 record. But against Memphis on Sunday, Smith, Telfair and Butler were not factors, which has happened on a few occasions in 2009-10. Smith has had games where he's scoring and rebounding with ease. But he also has tried to force his way to the basket at times, leading to offensive fouls or turnovers and a seat back on the bench. Against Memphis this was the case as he picked up four fouls and two turnovers in just 18 minutes. Telfair, meanwhile, has shown an ability to hit jumpers after leaning toward the basket off the dribble. Although he hasn't made many mistakes backing up Baron Davis, he's also been invisible in certain outings, and he missed two free throws against Memphis in 10 minutes of action.
Butler's penchant for scoring in the clutch has been partially offset when he tries to do too much on offense if his shots aren't falling. And because he can't always create a makeable shot against his defender, this has led him to occasionally hoist up heavily contended jumpers, and he had a pair of those vs. Memphis.
The Clippers will need consistent performances from all three players to get back into the Western Conference playoff picture. The Clippers will tangle with the Houston Rockets (a game ahead of the Clippers and a game behind the Utah Jazz for the eighth playoff spot in the West) for the first time this season Wednesday at Staples Center.
CLIPPERS 98, GRIZZLIES 88: The Clippers were completely out of sorts until the fourth quarter, when they poured in 33 points and held Memphis to seven on the way to a home victory Sunday, the 600th of coach Mike Dunleavy's career. Eric Gordon was instrumental in the rally, tying the score with a late layup. The Clippers scored the last 22 points of the game.
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