The Los Angeles Clippers faced the Portland Trailblazers for the second time this season. After gutting out a 93-88 victory over the Blazers back on New Year’s Day, the Clippers found themselves playing at the Rose Garden which is notorious for being one of the toughest arenas in the league for road teams. The thought of that might have been a contributing factor on why the Clippers got off to such a slow start.
Portland came out on fire led by forward Gerald “Crash” Wallace who was held scoreless in their previous matchup against the Clippers. Wallace lead all Blazers with 20 points before fouling out in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. Former Clipper Marcus Camby also played a big role contributing with 12 points, 11 rebounds and excellent defense in the paint.
On the Clippers’ end, point guard Chris Paul had a foul ridden first half and went into intermission scoreless with only one assist. Paul didn’t score his first points until he hit a 3 pointer in the 3rd quarter then closed the game out with a very un-Chris Paul like 11 points and 3 assists.
Turnovers and missed free throws also plagued the Clippers in this game and yet they managed to lead 26-24 at the end of the 1st quarter. With Paul struggling and stuck on the bench, the Clippers looked elsewhere to pick up the slack. Caron Butler had another stellar night and has proven to be one of the Clippers most consistent options with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Off the bench, Mo Williams was a spark plug yet again hitting numerous jumpers for a total of 14 points.
Clippers at Portland Video Highlights
In the second quarter, the Blazers made runs that saw their lead climb to a 54-47 lead at the half. The Clippers attempted to make a run in the 3rd quarter, but Portland would counter with a run of their own.
One marquee matchup fans wanted to see was the two young star power forwards Blake Griffin and Lamarcus Aldridge. The two went at it hard in the second half by showcasing their jump shots and basket attacking skills. Both finished with 18 points. Griffin grabbed 12 rebounds to Aldridge’s 7, but Aldridge walked away with the most important stat. A victory.
The Blazers reminded their 20,381 fans in the building why the Rose Garden is so tough for road teams to steal a victory in with a final score of 105-97.
After the loss, the Clippers had to catch a flight back to LA and prepare for the Miami Heat who just dropped a game to the Golden State Warriors in overtime. It’ll be the Clippers’ first challenge against an Eastern Conference powerhouse. Tip-off is 7:30pm PST at Staples Center.
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