The LA Clippers’ dominance of below-.500 teams continued on Friday night as they served up the Portland Trail Blazers, on their home court, their second-straight uncompetitive loss. Keep reading for a full recap of the game.

RECAP

If there was any concern about the Clippers falling victim to a Friday-night trap game vs. an injury-riddled Trail Blazers squad, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard quickly put that idea to bed, scoring 19 of the Clippers’ first 27 points en route to a 42-point opening frame for LA. That particular formula was copied and pasted throughout the contest, keeping the Clippers up comfortably throughout the game and landing them a 20-plus-point cushion by the start of the final frame. Along with stellar play from the other starters, the duo’s combined 53 points (31 for George, 22 for Leonard) on 19-29 shooting through three quarters was ultimately enough to land the Clippers a 125-117 victory. Just enough.

The fourth quarter was bad, and the final four or so minutes were particularly dreadful to watch. Dreadful enough to see the Clippers’ once 25-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to as few as six points. But while frustrating to sit through, nobody should come away from this game with any additional concerns from the near debacle — Leonard and George didn’t touch the court all fourth quarter, Norman Powell didn’t suit up, and the unit that almost completely let go of the rope featured many players who won’t see the court when April hits.

As for some legitimate takeaways from this game…

Paul George is finding his groove. The PG script is alive and well: begin the season like a borderline All-NBA performer, pumpkin into a non-allstar level of player by the midway point, and then round back into early-season form as the postseason nears. Friday’s 31-point showing gives PG nine-straight games now with at least 20 points, and double-digit makes in four of the last five. His play on the defensive end has also been noticeably good, but him being this caliber of player on the offensive end is likely what’ll matter more come postseason time when James Harden runs hot and cold while defenses do what they can to get the ball out of Kawhi’s hands.

PJ Tucker? PJ Tucker! Ok, so the exclamation point is probably unnecessary. Actually, it’s quite unnecessary for someone who’s made exactly one basket over the past two wins. But dare I say that the consistent minutes Tucker’s received since the All-Star break have given him enough reps to round into form and become a rotation-worthy player again? His activity on the offensive glass and as an off-ball defender hasn’t wavered. And the fact that he’s now taking (and making, sometimes) corner threes is a positive. We know Ty will turn to him at some point during the postseason, and it seems like we’ve graduated from the idea of that being a disaster to it now being a fathomable one.

Ty Lue and Bones Hyland aren’t on the same page. It didn’t take but one Bones Hyland shift into Wednesday’s win at Portland for Lue to completely go away from giving real rotation minutes to any point guard not named James Harden. With James on the bench, the Clippers opted to use Kawhi as the defacto “point guard,” running offense through him in the post and letting him react to double-teams. With Russell Westbrook reportedly on his way back, you have to wonder if Bones has seen his last true opportunity. But more interestingly, from a strategic standpoint, could Ty be tipping his hand at some funky, positionless playoff lineups? Makes you wonder.

CONCLUSION:

A win is a win, and the Clippers need to keep stacking as many as possible during this advantageous portion of the schedule as far as their level of competition goes. If nothing else, they have a real chance to use the rest of this month to regain some of the good vibes and confidence they bolstered earlier in the year. 

But first things first, they’ll need to be ready to go Sunday afternoon vs. Philadelphia.

Clippers vs. Trail Blazers Recap: A Win Is A Win
Cole Huff

The LA Clippers looked competent (enough) and ended their two-game skid in Portland with the help of hot shooting. Check out the details below:

Game Summary

The Clippers took their time before finally pulling away in the second and their quarters. After one frame, the Clippers found themselves down one to Portland. But it was clear from the beginning that the Clippers were poised to have a nice night from the field, as they shot 52% in the first quarter, which turned out to be to be their final grade.

Specifically, in the first half, James Harden hit five of his seven three point attempts, with Paul George adding two of his own. Then, in the third quarter, Kawhi took the baton. Unfortunately, George and Harden ended up playing big minutes, though the Clippers won comfortably in the end. Really, the game was fairly simple. As Rob put it in the preview, the Clippers just had to win—no matter how it looked. In the notes below, we have some interesting nuggets to discuss.

Notes

Bones Got Benched: Bones Hyland played four minutes in the first half and just three more in the second. Specifically, he entered the game with three minutes left in the first quarter and then was replaced by Brandon Boston, Jr. just one minute into the second quarter. He would not return until garage time, with the Clippers up 18. His third quarter shift was taken by Boston, who finished the game with nine points in 23 minutes on 4/9 shooting. Xavier Moon even got time in the fourth quarter before Bones was brought back.

Since the Chicago game last week, Bones has shot 4/17 from the field and 1/13 from three (including tonight). He also has eight turnovers to seven assists over those three games. What’s more, he is not passing the eye-test. His shot selection has been suspect and his passing erratic. With Norman Powell and Terance Mann out tonight, Bones had an opportunity to contribute, but did not make anything out of it. With the Clippers flirting with falling to the fifth seed, it is unlikely that he will get many more chances.

Kawhi’s Hand: During the third quarter, Kawhi started to noticeably flex his left hand, as if it was bothering him. It turned out that his hand got caught while he was going around a screen. After the game, Ty Lue said his hand was OK, but we will have to see how he feels between now and Friday.

Standings Watch: The Clippers are only one loss ahead of the Pelicans, who have won eight of their last ten. The Pelicans next seven games are the following: on the road in Orlando, Miami, Detroit, and then home against the Thunder, Bucks, Celtics, and Suns. That is a relatively tough schedule, though the Clippers have to keep winning regardless. There is some slight hope the Clippers could move up, as they are three games in the loss column behind the Timberwolves (who are down an All Star), but that is less likely.

Clippers Handle Business, Beat Blazers 116-103
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers completed another big comeback on Tuesday night in Portland, overcoming an 18 point second-half deficit, to win by six. The short-handed Clips were led by Norman Powell, who had 22 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 32. Oh—and Moussa Diabaté played the whole fourth quarter. Check out how it all happened in our recap below:

Summary

Both teams started the game slow, but the Blazers went on to finish the first quarter with 30 points and a five point lead. They were led by Anfernee Simons, who had 15 first quarter points, and Jusuf Nurkic, who added 9. The Clippers recieved six each from Mann and Zubac and five each from Powell and Jackson. Morris was 0/4 in the quarter, which foreshadowed the night he would have, as he finished 3/13 from the field and 0/5 from three (although he had a block, a bucket, and three rebounds during the critical fourth quarter).

The Blazers then put together another 30 point quarter and extended their lead to eight by half time. Jerami Grant started to get going and the Blazers’ role players—primarily, Hart and Winslow—started to support Grant and Simons. Robert Covington led the way for the Clippers in the second, with 11 points (3/3 from three). Covington would finish with 15 points and four rebounds (+10 on the night).

The Blazers, again, had over thirty points (34) in the third quarter—and Simons had almost half (15) of them (on 5 threes). The Blazers’ lead was as large as 18 and the Clippers looked like their lack of depth, given the injuries, was catching up to them. Still, though, the Clippers finished the quarter strong and were down just thirteen by the end of the quarter.

In the fourth, the script completely flipped: The Clippers had their first 30 point quarter of the game (36) and the Blazers’ scoring fell off a cliff (just 17). Over 60% of the Clippers’ fourth quarter points (22) came from one player, Norman Powell, who saw what Simons did in the third and decided to show the Blazers they traded the wrong shooting guard. Norm’s sidekick was—of all people—Moussa Diabate, who played the whole quarter and was +19.

Notes

Norm Powell Revenge Game: Norm finished with 32 points on 10/16 from the field, 4/5 from three, and 8/10 from the free throw line. As mentioned above, he did the majority of the damage in the fourth quarter, relentlessly attacking the rim, finishing tough layups or getting fouled (or both). As Law Murray pointed out, he outscored the whole Blazers team in the fourth and outscored their bench over the whole 48.

Moussa Makes His Announcement: Moussa was called up from the G-League to either help this short-handed main roster win or to get “real” NBA minutes if or when the Clippers were losing by an insurmountable deficit. It turned out to be the former, as he played the most important minutes of the game, and played so well that Clippers’ defensive leader Ivica Zubac never came back into the game after leaving in the third quarter. Moussa finished with just three points, four rebounds, a block, and a steal, but his overall activity and defensive switch-ability were a revelation.

Jason Preston Sighting: Along with Moussa, Jason Preston was also brought up to the main roster. He played six total minutes in the first half and hit his first NBA shot—a three pointer. He also had an assist and no turnovers.

Please Let Reggie Rest: Reggie had a better game today, with 24 points (on 9/23 shooting) and 12 assists. But he got beat up pretty bad as well. He crashed to the floor coming down from a made layup and stayed there until the Clippers could call a timeout. Then, in the fourth, he took a massively important and very physical charge, which led to Grant’s sixth foul. Hopefully John Wall will be able to handle the majority of the point guard minutes tomorrow and perhaps Reggie can even get the night off to recover.

That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ comeback win against the Blazers. As always, check out The Lob The Jam The Podcast and Clips ‘N Dip for analysis throughout the week, and follow us on Twitter to watch the game with us!

Clippers comeback big in Portland, 118-112
Kenneth Armstrong

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.

Clippers vs. Blazers Recap: First Win of the Season
Kenneth Armstrong