Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Portland Trail Blazers used a 12-2 fourth-quarter run to force overtime, eventually knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers 98-93 Wednesday night at the Staples Center.
Nicolas Batum scored or assisted on the Blazers' final 19 points, taking over down the stretch in a game that Damian Lillard struggled mightily. The All-Star point guard didn't make a field goal until the extra period.
Portland earned a 36-24 advantage in the paint but shot just 25.0 percent from three-point range. While Los Angeles knocked down 35.5 of its triples, it converted on just eight of 18 free throws.
Chris Paul scored a game-high 36 points, but the Clippers were without Blake Griffin for the 11th consecutive game. Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes were also sidelined for the Clippers.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard: C-
| Damian Lillard | C- |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | C+ |
| Nicolas Batum | B+ |
| Robin Lopez | B |
| Rest of Team | B- |
| Chris Paul | B |
| DeAndre Jordan | C+ |
| Spencer Hawes | C- |
| J.J. Redick | B |
| Rest of Team | D |
The Clippers held Lillard without a point for 50 minutes and forced the point guard into five turnovers. Lillard clanged his first 12 attempts overall, including all seven threes.
To his credit, the explosive guard was extremely active on the glass with a career-high 18 rebounds and rarely launched unnecessary slump-busters. It simply wasn't his night as a defender, since Paul and J.J. Redick ran circles around Lillard, too.
Lillard trudged to five points, making just one of his 13 shots, and dished four assists.
Whenever DeAndre Jordan was locked onto Aldridge, the power forward wasn't entering the paint. He quickly settled into his comfort zone on the left wing but converted on a meager 6-of-21 clip outside the lane.
Aldridge battled through the tight pressure to finish with 29 points. Nevertheless, he only converted on 12-of-30 looks, grabbing nine rebounds.
Nicolas Batum: B+
The seventh-year pro has fought through a season marred by inconsistency, and Wednesday was a microcosm of the year.
Nicolas Batum buried 4-of-5 shots to start the night, proceeded to miss four straight and then hit a clutch triple to even the score with 25.1 seconds remaining in regulation. During the extra period, he swatted a layup in the final minute and then nailed a dagger three on the other end.
Portland needs the small forward to use this performance as a springboard to shake his roller-coaster-like campaign. He recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Robin Lopez: B
Lillard and Aldridge were a combined 4-of-19 after two quarters, but Portland only trailed by two when it entered the locker room. Robin Lopez was the main reason.
The center was strong on the offensive glass, and the Blazers tallied 11 second-chance points following his six boards. Lopez accounted for 11 points and seven rebounds, also contributing as a stout post defender.
Rest of Team: B-
Wesley Matthews chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals and netted a crucial trifecta late in the game. The three-point specialist missed five of his other long-distance shots, however.
Chris Kaman registered 16 minutes, scoring eight points and snagging seven boards. Arron Afflalo and Dorell Wright combined to miss eight of their attempts off the bench.
Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul: B
Paul carried the short-handed Clippers throughout the showdown, dominating in the pick-and-roll both as a shooter and passer. But his fifth turnover bit Los Angeles, considering it allowed a Matthews' transition three.
The point guard found himself in foul trouble, and Portland made a quick comeback after he exited. Paul drilled a pair of jumpers to tie the game in overtime but missed his next two, which effectively sealed the loss. Paul racked up 36 points and 12 assists in the loss.
DeAndre Jordan: C+
Playing without Griffin hampers Los Angeles, but Jordan has shined in his frontcourt-mate's absence on the glass. The center continued his dominant streak, becoming only the third player since 2003 to record 10 straight 15-rebound games.
However, the center missed all six shots from the charity stripe in "Hack-A-Jordan" fashion, but the Blazers turned the free possessions into only a pair of free throws. Jordan snatched a game-high 19 rebounds, scoring six points.
Spencer Hawes: C-
Spencer Hawes played well as a pick-and-pop artist until it came time to, well, pop. Hawes basically refused to hoist deep jumpers—his strength—even if a defender might have a chance to disrupt the shot. Bleacher Report's Fred Katz provided analysis regarding Hawes when it comes to taking shots:
The power forward was overmatched when forced to provide held defense on Aldridge in pick-and-rolls but managed to survive. Hawes tallied eight points, four rebounds and four assists.
J.J. Redick: B
Without Crawford being available, the Clippers were in desperate need of guard scoring. Veteran shooting guard J.J. Redick filled that void, pouring in 26 points.
Redick used a multitude of screens to free himself for open looks but only connected on 4-of-12 from downtown. Portland was fortunate a few unlucky rolls victimized the sharpshooter.
Rest of Team: D
Austin Rivers was aggressive as a ball-handler, but neither he nor Hedo Turkoglu found the range. Rivers missed six of seven, while Turkoglu misfired on seven of 10.
Though Jordan Hamilton hit a three-pointer early on, the starting small forward didn't score for the rest of the contest. Glen Davis, who rounded out Los Angeles' eight-man rotation, ended with four points and two steals.
What's Next?
Trail Blazers PR provides some team stats:
Portland (40-19) travels home for a quick turnaround, hosting the Dallas Mavericks (40-22) Thursday, March 5, at 10:30 p.m. ET. TNT will nationally broadcast the Western Conference showdown.
Los Angeles (40-22) receives a four-day break in preparation for the West-leading Golden State Warriors (46-12) Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Blazers pushed their lead over the Clippers for the fourth seed in the conference standings to 1.5 games. Whichever team snags the No. 4 spot will host an opening-round playoff series.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR
