LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's happening with such regularity now, people are just expecting Lou Williams to come off the bench and put up 20-plus points while leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a victory.
Williams did it again Tuesday night, scoring 33 to send the Clippers to their fourth consecutive win, 113-105 over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The standout reserve shot 8 of 15 from the field. Continually driving to the basket, he hit all 15 of his free throws.
''He's obviously a great scorer, but when you draw that many fouls and get to the free throw line that many times, you're almost impossible to guard,'' Memphis interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Williams leads NBA reserves in scoring at 21.6 points per game. He scored 40 off the bench in his last game against Charlotte. He has scored at least 30 off the bench eight times this season, tied for the second-most in NBA history. Ricky Pierce (1989-90) holds the record with 17.
Williams got scoring help Tuesday from Blake Griffin, who had 21 points - including five down the stretch after the Grizzlies had erased most of an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to close to 103-101.
Tyreke Evans led Memphis with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Mario Chalmers had 15 points off the bench.
Williams and Griffin, however, proved too much for the Grizzlies in the final moments.
Rookie guard C.J. Williams, starting for an injured Austin Rivers, added a career-high 18 points for the Clippers in his 10th career start.
********* Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers shoots the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 2, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.