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Blazers Guards Shine In Win Over Clippers

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The saying is that a playoff series doesn’t truly start until the visitor wins a game. It looks like the Clippers will have to wait another game at least for this series to truly get started against the Blazers.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum started off this one scorching hot and they never seemed to cool off. Lillard got the first quarter rolling for the Blazers as he had 12 points just minutes into the contest. Clipper guard Chris Paul gave Lillard all he could handle from a defensive standpoint but it was just Lillard’s night and he would prove it by finishing the contest with 32 points. McCollum took some time to get going though. Once Luc Mbah a Moute subbed out for Los Angeles McCollum clicked on. Shots started falling for the small college standout and for the rest of the game the Clippers struggled to put an end to his scoring streak as he ended the night with 27 points.

The two guards for the Blazers may not have been the biggest key to their team’s win oddly enough though. An unlikely hero, Mason Plumlee was a force to be reckoned with in this game. With 21 rebounds and 9 assists from the Center position his hustle and vision was key in Portland’s victory.

What went wrong for the Clippers?

Blake Griffin finally showed some rust after he seemingly was adjusting well to a short return from injury before the playoffs. Getting 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists on the night was not enough for his team as he simply went cold and lost some confidence in his shot late in the second half, ending the contest shooting 5 for 16 from the field. He wasn’t the only cold shooter for Los Angeles though. JJ Redick only had 5 points and 1 three-pointer by the time the game had wrapped up.

Total, the Clippers went 3 for 18 from beyond the arc in the game. That is not a winning statistic in any game, let alone a playoff game in another team’s building. The club was also out-rebounded by 12. Plumlee had plenty to do with this but to those that watched it was clear the Clippers didn’t pay much attention to boxing out when needed.

Paul and Jamal Crawford were the only two that had it right for Los Angeles. 26 points and 9 assists for Paul and 19 points off the bench for Crawford helped the team stay in the game. The back and forth affair continued late as the Clippers gained their first lead since early in the first quarter with just minutes remaining.

Lillard and the Blazers would hit some clutch shots to end it out though and the Clippers just couldn’t return the punches as they lost the game 96-88. 

A 2-1 series now heading into the second game at Moda Center Monday night will be a must win game for Los Angeles. A 3-1 series lead heading back to Los Angeles would be a huge advantage for the team that certainly doesn’t want it all tied up at 2 when they return home. The effort will have to be turned up but emotions need to remain calm. A technical foul by Paul hurt his team Saturday night and they certainly can’t afford anything like that on Monday in a critical game. 

Thanks for reading along Clipper fans hopefully game number four goes better. 

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