NBA Power Rankings: Blake Griffin trade shakes things up

The Clippers saw a losing streak extend to three games with two losses to begin the week, but they took advantage of a huge game from Lou Williams, who was snubbed from the All-Star game, against the Grizzlies and then were able to capitalize on a demoralized Pelicans team sans DeMarcus Cousins on Sunday for a victory. They’ve dropped to ninth in the Western Conference, having vaulted up the standings after a nice winning streak, but are in a good position with DeAndre Jordan back healthy and playing well.

They lost their first game of the week to Andrew Wiggins and the Timberwolves, with the former No. 1 pick scoring a season-high 40 points. The Clippers couldn’t figure out the Celtics defense, and they had 19 turnovers to pair with 44 percent shooting in a 113-102 loss on their home court. Williams had 40 points and 10 assists off the bench against the Grizzlies, and the Clippers defense forced the Grizzlies into 20 turnovers. The Clippers had 11 offensive rebounds, and 52 points in the paint against the Pelicans, who started a smaller lineup after losing DeMarcus Cousins to a ruptured Achilles on Friday. LA won 112-103, and once they took the lead in the third quarter, never looked back.

They shocked the league by trading Griffin for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, a 2018 first and a 2019 second. It’s a move that nobody saw coming, and certainly doesn’t feel like their final move before the deadline. I like the move for the Pistons — it’s too soon to tell for the Clippers however.