Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 109-100 victory over Memphis

The Clippers defeated the Grizzlies 109-100 in Memphis on Friday night.

The victory pulled the Clippers back to .500 at 24-24, only one game behind Denver for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. Wesley Johnson was a defensive force for the Clippers again. And he was a factor on defense in several ways.

Johnson had a career-high six steals. His three blocked shots all came from his small forward spot, but he scored only three points, missing five of his six shots.

Still, Johnson’s defensive effort was a big key to the Clippers’ defeat of Memphis.

2. The Clippers got to see the aggressive side of guard Milos Teodosic. He hunted for his shots rather than just looking to pass.

Clippers forwards Wesley Johnson, left, and Montrezl Harrell trap Grizzlies center Marc Gasol with their double-team defense.

(Brandon Dill / Associated Press )

As a result, Teodosic scored a career-high 18 points. He took 15 shots, making seven. Of eight three-pointers, he made three.

Teodosic had four assists, but it was his scoring that stood out.

3. The Clippers were not shy about letting the three-pointers fly. They launched 27 and made 10 (37%).

Lou Williams was four for 10 from three-point range, Blake Griffin was three for five and Teodosic was three for eight.

4. By taking good care of the basketball, the Clippers improved their chances. They had just 10 turnovers against the Grizzlies.

5. The Clippers know they must get better at rebounding. They were out-rebounded 43-36 on Friday.

[email protected]

Twitter: @BA_Turner