Before the point guard not on the roster only three days earlier sparked a dominant fourth quarter, before guard Luke Kennard made nearly every three-pointer he took, and before the 117-105 victory was complete, anywhere the Clippers looked during the first half Wednesday, there seemed to be a bad omen.
Memphis’ Ja Morant, maybe the league’s fastest point guard but also one of the position’s least reliable shooters from deep, was zooming into the paint at will and knocking down a career-high-tying four three-pointers.
Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies’ sensational 6-foot-11 big man, was back in the lineup for the first time since a knee injury ended his second season in August.