by Eric Patten
The final game before the All-Star break for the Clippers could hold meaning months from now. Wednesday night at Staples Center is the first of four-straight games against three of the Western Conference’s top teams and arguably one of its hottest. The stretch begins with the Portland Trail Blazers (36-16), who arrived in Los Angeles in the early morning hours after a 98-95 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They are 5-7 in their last 12 games, including five losses on the road.
For the Clippers (36-18), it’s a chance to move within percentage points of Portland for the No. 3 seed heading into All-Star Weekend and even the season series with the Blazers. After the break, they play a home game against the Spurs before road games against the Grizzlies and Thunder. While it’s only mid-February, the standings could begin to take shape over the next couple of weeks.
NOTEWORTHY MATCHUP
It’s tough to call this a “matchup” considering Lillard won’t guard Paul. The high-scoring first-time All-Star has not in the past. Instead, the Trail Blazers have elected to use Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and others against the Clippers’ superstar. Paul, in his second game back, will guard Lillard, however, and in the past it has been relatively one-sided, including Paul outscoring Lillard, 34-14, on Dec. 26 and holding Lillard to 4-for-12 shooting.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR ON PRIME TICKET
- Even the return of rookie C.J. McCollum, who did not play in the first meeting against the Clippers due to a broken foot, has not done much to improve Portland’s bench. They play the fewest minutes (13.5) and score the fewest points (22.8) in the league among reserve units. It’s a carryover from a year ago when the Blazers also owned the least used bench in the NBA. The Clippers average 31.2 points per game off the bench, a number that is drastically affected by Jamal Crawford’s shift to the starting lineup with J.J. Redick nursing a sore right hip. Crawford scores 17.9 points off the bench (18.4 overall on the season), which is good for 57 percent of the Clippers’ reserve points.
- Paul is 17 points away from scoring 11,000 for his career, considering the way he’s traditionally played in his second game back from injury, that milestone should easily fall against the Blazers. More importantly, though, will be watching how Paul looks in his second game after missing 18 with a separated shoulder. Will he be more comfortable making contact in close quarters? Will his timing be improved? Will he tug at the protective sleeve under his jersey?
- According to Synergy Sports, the Blazers are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of pick-and-roll defense. They allow 0.835 points per possession against pick-and-roll ball handlers (26th in the NBA) and are only slightly better against the roll man (17th in the league in points per possession). The Clippers, according to Synergy, score 22 percent of their points out of pick-and-roll offense, including ranking first in points scored by the pick-and-roll ball-handler. Predominantly that means Paul or Crawford.
NOTES
Griffin is seeking to score 25 points or more in eight consecutive games, which would tie Elton Brand for the most in Los Angeles Clippers history… LaMarcus Aldridge has scored double figures in each of Portland’s first 52 games. He’s the only Trail Blazers player to do so… The Clippers have won three games in a row against Portland at Staples Center… A Portland win would ensure they win the season series over the Clippers. L.A. has not dropped a season series against the Blazers since 2010-11… Portland has the eighth youngest roster in the league (25.4 years old is the average age)… Portland is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range as a team (fourth in the league). The Clippers are the No. 1 3-point defense… The Clippers are 22-4 at home…
WHAT THEY’R
Source:- http://www.nba.com/clippers/games/PORLAC-140212
The final game before the All-Star break for the Clippers could hold meaning months from now. Wednesday night at Staples Center is the first of four-straight games against three of the Western Conference’s top teams and arguably one of its hottest. The stretch begins with the Portland Trail Blazers (36-16), who arrived in Los Angeles in the early morning hours after a 98-95 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They are 5-7 in their last 12 games, including five losses on the road.
For the Clippers (36-18), it’s a chance to move within percentage points of Portland for the No. 3 seed heading into All-Star Weekend and even the season series with the Blazers. After the break, they play a home game against the Spurs before road games against the Grizzlies and Thunder. While it’s only mid-February, the standings could begin to take shape over the next couple of weeks.
NOTEWORTHY MATCHUP
It’s tough to call this a “matchup” considering Lillard won’t guard Paul. The high-scoring first-time All-Star has not in the past. Instead, the Trail Blazers have elected to use Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and others against the Clippers’ superstar. Paul, in his second game back, will guard Lillard, however, and in the past it has been relatively one-sided, including Paul outscoring Lillard, 34-14, on Dec. 26 and holding Lillard to 4-for-12 shooting.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR ON PRIME TICKET
- Even the return of rookie C.J. McCollum, who did not play in the first meeting against the Clippers due to a broken foot, has not done much to improve Portland’s bench. They play the fewest minutes (13.5) and score the fewest points (22.8) in the league among reserve units. It’s a carryover from a year ago when the Blazers also owned the least used bench in the NBA. The Clippers average 31.2 points per game off the bench, a number that is drastically affected by Jamal Crawford’s shift to the starting lineup with J.J. Redick nursing a sore right hip. Crawford scores 17.9 points off the bench (18.4 overall on the season), which is good for 57 percent of the Clippers’ reserve points.
- Paul is 17 points away from scoring 11,000 for his career, considering the way he’s traditionally played in his second game back from injury, that milestone should easily fall against the Blazers. More importantly, though, will be watching how Paul looks in his second game after missing 18 with a separated shoulder. Will he be more comfortable making contact in close quarters? Will his timing be improved? Will he tug at the protective sleeve under his jersey?
- According to Synergy Sports, the Blazers are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of pick-and-roll defense. They allow 0.835 points per possession against pick-and-roll ball handlers (26th in the NBA) and are only slightly better against the roll man (17th in the league in points per possession). The Clippers, according to Synergy, score 22 percent of their points out of pick-and-roll offense, including ranking first in points scored by the pick-and-roll ball-handler. Predominantly that means Paul or Crawford.
NOTES
Griffin is seeking to score 25 points or more in eight consecutive games, which would tie Elton Brand for the most in Los Angeles Clippers history… LaMarcus Aldridge has scored double figures in each of Portland’s first 52 games. He’s the only Trail Blazers player to do so… The Clippers have won three games in a row against Portland at Staples Center… A Portland win would ensure they win the season series over the Clippers. L.A. has not dropped a season series against the Blazers since 2010-11… Portland has the eighth youngest roster in the league (25.4 years old is the average age)… Portland is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range as a team (fourth in the league). The Clippers are the No. 1 3-point defense… The Clippers are 22-4 at home…
WHAT THEY’R
Source:- http://www.nba.com/clippers/games/PORLAC-140212
