The Clippers reset the season with a blowout win over the Blazers, 116-86. Lifted up by an explosion from Luke Kennard, the Clippers controlled the game from tip. Check out our game recap below.
Summary
Nicolas Batum got the start on Monday night, with Marcus Morris, Sr. being a late scratch for injury maintenance on his left knee. And, from the jump, Batum — along with Paul George — set the tone on the defensive end. George’s aggression in the passing lanes was matched by his early offensive production, as he led the Clippers to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter with eight points. He was joined by Reggie Jackson, who had eight of his own, though on 3/9 shooting. The Blazers’ shot 33% from the field in the first quarter (20% from three) — and that was the story for them as the night went on.
But it was really the bench who broke this game open early. With his first substitution of the game, coach Ty Lue once again went with a “shift change,” bringing in Isaiah Hartenstein, Terance Mann, and Luke Kennard to play along side Reggie and George. The Clippers were only up by one at this point (4:36 left in the first quarter), but Kennard and Hartenstein combined for 11 points to close the quarter.
Portland matched the Clippers in the second quarter (25-25), but the score was not representative of how the game felt. Paul George had three turnovers late in the second quarter and the Blazers picked up their shooting a bit. Nonetheless, the Clippers had control of the game and largely kept Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum contained as they finished the first half with a 56-42 lead.
In the third quarter, the Clippers blew the game wide open and secured the win, taking the frame 35-19. Reggie, George, Zubac, and Mann were mostly responsible for pouring it on, while PG’s four third-quarter steals disrupted the Blazers’ attack. At this point, the starters were on track for big numbers, but none of them were needed in the fourth quarter.
Coach Lue emptied the bench to end the game, which allowed the home fans to witness Brandon Boston, Jr.’s first career points.
Game Notes
- Luke Kennard was electric: Luke finished the game with 23 points on 8/10 shooting (6/7 from three) and three assists. What’s more, he was scoring in all kinds of ways — catch and shoot, coming off screens, curling around hand-offs, etc. If Luke can score 15+ points a night consistently throughout the season, Paul George’s season will be a lot less taxing, like tonight.
- Paul George, ball hawk: Paul George had a career-high eight steals tonight (the Blazers, who were loose with the ball all night, made it easy). The Clippers as a team had 21 steals, which was the second-most steals in franchise history (per Clippers PR). They also forced the most turnovers by a Clippers team since 1996 (per Clippers PR).
- Justice Winslow gets some burn: With Morris out, Winslow was back in the rotation after being a DNP-CD against the Grizzlies. He only scored six points on 3/9 shooting, but he was active on defense (three steals and two blocks) and assisted on four Clippers makes.
- Ball Movement: Reggie Jackson shot 15 three-points, which was incredible to watch because he only made three of them (he was 6/20 overall). Besides Reggie, however, the Clippers played very unselfishly, which led to 37 assists on 44 made field goals. According to Clippers PR, that was the most assists in a game since 2015.
That will do it for our recap of the Clippers’ first win of the season. Check out the podcast for more analysis from the 213 Hoops team.