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 Edmond, Okla., got their first taste of competing against each other professionally in Phoenix's 87-70 victory.
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, like he did at Oklahoma and during the weeklong summer league, did the job on the court.
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 following the game. Blake Griffin is hoping to enjoy a long NBA career while Taylor Griffin is fighting for a spot on the Suns' roster.
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts about this article. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or straying from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of OUDaily.com. Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Log in | Register