The Fifth Quarter: Blake Griffin continues stellar play in win against Kings

Alec Brzezinski

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The Fifth Quarter: Blake Griffin continues stellar play in win against Kings image

MVP, MVP, MVP! That's what Clippers fans were chanting as Blake Griffin iced a 114-109 home win over the Kings on Saturday by hitting two free throws late in the game.

It's hard to argue with them. Griffin has been phenomenal through Los Angeles' first three games, including a 37-point, nine-rebound effort against Sacramento. It's way too early to say Griffin has emerged as the MVP favorite, especially with a certain splash brother setting nets on fire Saturday, but Griffin has morphed into more than just a powerful dunker.

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The Clippers moved to 3-0 on the season — with two of those wins coming at the Kings' expense — and really look like a title contender early on.

The Kings, led by head coach George Karl, have impressed despite their 1-2 record. In true Karl style, the Sacramento offense got up and down the court in a hurry. Led by new point guard Rajon Rondo's second straight 21-point effort, the Kings have the talent to compete with anyone.

There was plenty of action around the NBA on Saturday, so let's take a look around the rest of the league:

Memphis continues to improve after poor season opener:

After starting the season with a 106-76 loss to the Cavaliers, it looked like the Grizzlies could be in for a long season. But Memphis has rebounded with two strong performances in its past two games, including Saturday night's 101-91 win against the Nets.

Point guard Mike Conley scored a game-high 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field, which moved him past Shareef Abdur-Rahim (7,801) for third on the Grizzlies' all-time scoring list. Zach Randolph added 15 points and 13 rebounds in what should be a great high-low combination all season.

Tweets of the night:

Someone might want to guard Anthony Davis:

Paul George happened:

Andre Iguodala still has it:

Stud of the night:

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry lit up the Pelicans for 53 points — one away from a career-high — with 28 of them coming in the third quarter. Curry looks like a man on a mission through three games this season after James Harden — and a few fans — whined that he didn't play enough defense last season to win MVP. But at the end of the day, Curry's capable of changing the scope of a game with his prolific scoring like no one else in the league right now.

Here's his interview with Craig Sager after the game:

Dud of the night:

The Indiana Pacers fell to 0-3 Saturday after an embarrassing 21-point loss at home against the Jazz. Point guard George Hill led the team in scoring with 17 points, but also turned the ball over seven times. Scoring has been a bit of an issue for the Pacers so far this season, as they've lacked explosiveness in half-court sets and have subsequently only reached 100 points once. One positive for Indiana fans is rookie Myles Turner, who flashed brilliance in his 10-point, four-rebound effort against Utah.

What's Next: (All times Eastern)

Rockets (0-2) at Heat (1-1) 6 p.m. — What's going on in Houston? The Rockets enter this game on the heels of two home blowout loses. MVP hopeful James Harden has really struggled from the floor thus far. He needs to get it going against Chris Bosh and the Heat.

Magic (0-2) at Bulls (2-1) 7 p.m. — Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo head to Chicago in search of their first win despite playing well in two close loses. Jimmy Butler and the Bulls will look to get back in the winner's circle after losing to the Pistons in overtime Friday.

Alec Brzezinski