Trail Blazers Cough Up Home Game to Clippers

SB Nation

The Los Angeles Clippers sent the Portland Trail Blazers straight to the gift-return line after giving their hosts a 119-103 setback in NBA action tonight. James Harden was the most generous Clipper with

34 points, Deni Avdija the leading scorer for the Blazers with 29.

Player of the Game

Brook Lopez had a career night. Since he has been playing for several decades, we’re talking quite a few nights. Lopez scored 31 points on 9 threes in 14 tries as the Blazers frequently opted to double team James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Avdija contributed his customary line for the Blazers with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, which is pretty danged close to a triple double. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough this time.

Stat of the Night

Was it three-pointers or free throws? Take your pick. The Blazers shot 41% from distance in this one, which is better than their season average; the Clippers shot 50%. Free throws? Clippers, 94%-68%. The Blazers started hot and got colder as the game went on, which earned them their third straight loss.

What We Noticed

Everyone says you have to have a couple of legitimate stars to win in the NBA, and the Clippers certainly have that in James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. So how did that go tonight? That duo was outscored in the first half 29-21 by Deni and Shaedon, but the second half was not quite as friendly for the Blazers. By the final horn, Harden and Leonard had a 62-45 advantage. Yeah, maybe it does help to have two legit stars.

Also notable is the turnover count was almost even. The Blazers had 14, the Clippers 12, but the when sometimes matters more than the what. Too many miscues in primetime leads to games like this one.