Blake Griffin gets best of Taylor in Vegas summer league
Rivalry lacking as pair takes care of business
LAS VEGAS — Phoenix Suns forward Taylor Griffin walked to the free-throw line Sunday night during an NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Clippers and was greeted with some spirited trash talk from a group of nearby Clippers fans.
His younger brother, Clippers’ top pick Blake Griffin, stood a few feet away on the rebounding block and cracked a smile.
The brothers, teammates the past two years at Oklahoma and for most of their childhood growing up in Oklahoma City, got their first taste of competing against each other professionally in Phoenix’s 87-70 victory.
"For me, it was just another game,” Blake Griffin said. "Of course I wanted him to do well, but this is a business and I’m more concerned with winning.”
Just two minutes into their initial game as opponents and with the assistance to the help of a group of about 20 vocal Clippers’ fans, it was obvious the Griffins are no longer teammates.
Taylor Griffin made both foul shots, then Blake Griffin, as he did at Oklahoma and during the weeklong summer league, did the job on the court.
"I didn’t pay much attention to that,” Blake Griffin said of friendly trash talk toward his brother. "And it didn’t bother him. He made both the foul shots.”
Blake Griffin, who before the game was announced as the event’s Most Outstanding Player, got the best of his brother with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Taylor Griffin, a second-round selection of the Suns, had four points and six rebounds.
They rarely guarded each other with Phoenix converting Taylor Griffin into a small forward and Blake Griffin playing inside at power forward. Blake Griffin averaged 20 points and 10 points in five summer games.
The brothers exchanged hugs on the court after the game. Blake Griffin is hoping to enjoy a long NBA career, while Taylor Griffin is fighting for a spot on the Suns’ roster.
"It was fun getting to play against him,” Blake Griffin said.
By the Associated Press
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