MEMPHIS — The Los Angeles Clippers dropped to 6-17 on Friday night after falling 107-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum, marking their ninth loss in the last 11 games as the team continues to struggle early in the 2025-26 season.

The contest was close throughout, with 10 lead changes and nine ties heading into the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. 

The teams were knotted at 98-98 with 3:40 remaining when James Harden knocked down a pair of free throws, his only points of the second half after scoring 16 in the first half.

From there, Memphis slammed the door shut with a devastating 9-0 run to close the game, and the Clippers could not find an answer down the stretch. 

Rookie forward Cedric Coward led the charge for the Grizzlies with a career-night performance of 23 points and 14 rebounds, proving to be the difference-maker when it counted most.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 24 points and eight rebounds, but struggled from beyond the arc and could not get going in crunch time. 

Harden added 18 points and seven assists but was limited to just two free throws in the entire second half as the Grizzlies’ defense tightened up when it mattered most.

Ivica Zubac contributed a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while John Collins chipped in 16 points off the bench. 

Even with Kobe Brown having his first double-digit game of his career and showing real flashes of productivity, the Clippers just did not have enough shooting to compete with Memphis down the stretch. 

The supporting cast could not generate enough offense to complement the star duo, and Los Angeles shot just 43.5% from the field for the game.

The Grizzlies, who improved to 10-13 with the victory, got contributions across the board with five players reaching double figures. 

Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells each scored 17 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13 and Zach Edey recorded 10 points and eight rebounds in the winning effort.

This marks the second time in a week that Memphis has beaten the Clippers, having won 112-107 at Intuit Dome on November 28 despite Leonard pouring in 39 points in that contest.

The Clippers have no time to dwell on this loss as they travel to Minneapolis for the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The Timberwolves enter the matchup at 13-8 and riding a four-game winning streak, presenting a tough test for a Los Angeles squad that has struggled mightily on the road this season with a 3-9 record away from home.

The Clippers completely unraveled in Memphis.

Back to 11 games under .500.

And they get to play Minnesota tomorrow on a back-to-back.

— Grant “Money” Mona (@Gmona48) December 6, 2025

With Bradley Beal out for the season following hip surgery, Derrick Jones Jr. out with a knee injury, and Chris Paul recently parting ways with the organization, the Clippers are in desperate need of finding some consistency. 

Leonard has been playing at an elite level when healthy, averaging 25.9 points per game this season, while Harden is posting 26.9 points and 8.4 assists per contest. The talent is there, but the results have not followed.

Tip-off against Minnesota is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Target Center.