Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Portland Trail Blazers staked a four-game win streak Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the visiting Clips emerged from a tense fourth quarter with a 100-94 win.
Portland scored the game's first points and trailed until early in the fourth quarter, but a Jamal Crawford three-pointer broke a 92-92 tie. The Clippers never ceded that lead. Crawford scored 25 off the bench to lead L.A., and LaMarcus Aldridge's 37 points didn't suffice for Portland.
The Clippers had lost two of the last four at home, but they went on the road and capitalized on a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers while holding the Blazers to 40 percent shooting.
| Chris Paul | A- |
| J.J. Redick | C- |
| Matt Barnes | B- |
| Blake Griffin | B |
| DeAndre Jordan | A- |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Damian Lillard | C+ |
| Wesley Matthews | C |
| Nicolas Batum | C- |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | A |
| Chris Kaman | B |
| Rest of Team | C |
Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul, Point Guard
Chris Paul shared the love early and often, hitting the half with seven assists. He also blanketed Damian Lillard all night, hounding the young star into forced shots and fruitless drives.
And he put everyone on triple-double watch as well. Paul finished with 23 points, 10 dimes and six boards, hitting all 10 of his free throws and snagging two steals for good measure.
As Paul stated in a postgame interview with Stan Verrett on ESPN's SportsCenter: "We're a team that's trying to find that consistency right now, and tonight, we did it."
Grade: A-
Blake Griffin, Power Forward
Griffin's opposition outshone him, as Aldridge stacked up hoops. Griffin still found his scoring with 18 points on 20 shots and even hit all four of his free throws. He also notched four assists, three rebounds and three steals, but Aldridge put his stats to shame.
Grade: B
DeAndre Jordan, Center
DeAndre Jordan recorded an early double-double with 6:30 left in the second quarter, and he finished the game without missing any of his eight shots. Granted, they all came from point-blank range, but you try getting to the rim in an NBA game and see how hard it is.
Jordan also dealt with foul trouble, picking up his fourth personal during the third quarter, but he could not be deterred. He hit the tape with 17 points and 18 rebounds, plus his one block came on a crucial possession late in the game to deny Wesley Matthews.
Grade: A-
J.J. Redick, Shooting Guard
Despite numerous open looks, Redick had trouble finding the cylinder. At least he dished three assists.
Following a 3-of-12 shooting performance, he scored seven points and was the only one of the six Clippers who scored a point to miss out on double figures. And he hardly had an excuse after chucking 12 shots at the rim.
Grade: C-
Matt Barnes, Small Forward
Matt Barnes offered his usual smattering of usefulness, scoring 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, plus seven boards and two steals. Just think of the swingman as a Swiss Army knife, except with more tattoos.
Grade: B-
Rest of Team
Jamal Crawford ramped up his usage in the first half, hoisting 13 shots to score 15 points, 10 of which came in a two-minute span during the second quarter. He even undressed Steve Blake on one shot way behind the arc.
Crawford also canned a long, tie-breaking three-pointer with four minutes remaining. That pushed him to 25 points and proved to be the difference in the game.
The Clippers carped about many calls and non-calls, but it seemed that Spencer Hawes disagreed with nearly every decision the refs made in relation to him. He still collected four boards and one block in his 17 minutes.
Glen Davis rounded out L.A.'s eight-man rotation, but he did little more than commit three fouls in four-and-a-half minutes. Crawford scored all of the Clippers' bench points.
Grade: B
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard, Point Guard
Lillard had just three points through three quarters. ESPN's Avery Johnson, a former head coach, stated during the halftime show that it seemed like Lillard's hand was bothering him based on his play through two quarters. Lillard initially injured his hand back on Dec. 5, so it's a big concern if the injury has flared up again.
Lillard's second field goal didn't come until 7:22 remained in the fourth, but it also put the Blazers up by five, their biggest cushion of the night. He splashed a trey shortly thereafter, then he hit another triple from way, way downtown another minute later. Safe to say, this kid is a fourth-quarter kind of guy, but the late push was not enough.
Grade: C+
LaMarcus Aldridge, Power Forward
LaMarcus Aldridge dominated the first half, scoring 22 points. And with Lillard and Nicolas Batum floundering, Portland just kept feeding LMA. He owned the mid-range jumper and punished the Clips in the post.
However, the Clippers defense limited Aldridge to two points in the fourth quarter, and the Blazers couldn't find enough scoring to persevere. He can still stand tall after scoring 37 points and collecting 12 rebounds.
"LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 7.7 post-up points per game, only Al Jefferson (10.9) and DeMarcus Cousins (7.9) average more.
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) January 15, 2015"
Grade: A
Wesley Matthews, Shooting Guard
Wes Matthews was another Blazer who struggled with his shot, scoring eight points on 13 field-goal attempts.
On one sequence during the third quarter while trailing by four, Matthews missed two three-pointers on the same possession, only to watch Redick drain one on the other side—effectively a six-point swing in the score.
Matthews took a shot from Paul in the backcourt during the game's final minute, and what could have been an offensive foul was called on Matthews instead. He seemed to hurt his chest on the play, and then he air-balled a crucial three-point attempt with Portland down by five.
On the ensuing play, he flew into the crowd for a loose ball and took a spectator's knee in his back. As Steve Smith Sr. would say: "Ice up, son."
Grade: C
Chris Kaman, Center
Still basking in the playing time of the injured Robin Lopez, Chris Kaman found his way to 15 points and 11 rebounds. His finest basket of the night came on a foul-line blow-by on Hawes, who ate the 32-year-old's dust.
Grade: B
Nicolas Batum, Small Forward
Nic Batum helped out with the ball movement, but he couldn't find the goal himself. He missed three-pointers off the front iron and even missed layup attempts, finishing with four points and zero field goals. At least he led the team with six assists.
Batum, Matthews and Lillard combined for 8-of-34 shooting.
Grade: C-
Rest of Team
Meyers Leonard made a big impact off the bench. The No. 11 pick from the 2012 draft, the 22-year-old center has made strides recently, showing possible promise for the long term.
He showed both offensive instinct and the will to battle for rebounds, and while his 11 points and 10 rebounds were impressive, the three assists were a tasty helping of gravy on top.
Steve Blake led all guards in assists with five and scored two points. C.J. McCollum couldn't scrape together much offense, needing five shots for two points, and the Blazers' eight-man rotation did not suffice in this matchup.
Grade: C
Coming Up Next
The Clippers (26-13) host the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, with a chance to take advantage of a team in disarray. They complete the back-to-back by visiting the Sacramento Kings the next evening.
The Blazers (30-9) face a tough back-to-back pairing when they visit the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies Friday and Saturday.
