Clippers vs Trail Blazers: Game 4 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
The Los Angeles Clippers still have home-court advantage in their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but it feels like the latter is in control.
Portland evened the series at 2-2 on Monday with a 98-84 victory, but the Clippers lost more than an individual contest. Superstar point guard Chris Paul fractured the third metacarpal on his right hand, per Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com, and will likely be out for extended time.
Los Angeles had NBA title aspirations entering the playoffs, but those took a hit with Paul's injury. Suddenly, beating the Trail Blazers in the first round appears to be a monumental task.
As for Monday's game, Al-Farouq Aminu led the way for Portland with 30 points and 10 rebounds. ESPN Stats & Info noted the 30 points were a career high for Aminu, who picked an ideal time as his team seized the momentum in the series:
He wasn't the only Trail Blazers player to notch a double-double, as Mason Plumlee grabbed 14 boards and dished out 10 assists from the center position. C.J. McCollum added 19 points, while Damian Lillard chipped in with 12 points, six assists and six rebounds.
Blake Griffin and Jeff Green each scored 17 points for Los Angeles.
The Trail Blazers controlled the first quarter and looked like a team that was fighting to avoid a 3-1 deficit on its home floor. However, Portland allowed the Clippers to close an early 20-12 deficit to 24-20 by the end of the quarter, even though Paul was the only one consistently scoring. Paul scored 12 of his team's 20 points in the opening 12 minutes.
Jason Quick of CSNNW.com realized things could have been worse for the Clippers:
The teams played an even second quarter, and Portland entered the locker room with a 47-43 lead at halftime. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian pointed out Los Angeles missed an opportunity to take the lead during a critical stretch:
Neither team was impressive from the field in the first half. Portland shot 15-of-42 (35.7 percent), while Los Angeles was 14-of-42 (33.3 percent). The two sides also combined for 17 first-half turnovers, and Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times thought "their preseason game was more crisply played."
Mike Richman of the Oregonian echoed that sentiment:
Los Angeles trimmed the gap to two points early in the third quarter, but Aminu and McCollum scored to quickly make it 55-49. Dan Woike of the Orange County Register recognized a familiar blueprint:
The game took a backseat in the third quarter, when Paul suffered the injury.
"Paul [is] headed back to the locker room," Woike noted. "He looks like he knows it's not good news as he walks off the floor."
With Paul sidelined, Aminu drilled his fifth three-pointer of the game and then found McCollum for another triple to open up a 64-58 advantage. Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report had some fun with Aminu's sudden surge from downtown:
However, the Clippers got some momentum back when Green connected on a long-range shot at the buzzer to close the Portland lead to 66-64 heading into the final 12 minutes, via NBA on TNT:
Trail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl reflected on the finishing sequence in the third quarter:
Even after the three by Green, ESPN Stats & Info did not paint an encouraging picture for Los Angeles entering the fourth quarter: "Clippers outscored opponents by 553 with Chris Paul on the floor and were outscored by 202 with Paul off the floor in [the] regular season."
The pattern continued when Portland opened up a 77-68 lead after a Maurice Harkless basket with 7:28 left. One possession earlier, McCollum then sent the crowd into a frenzy with a crucial three-pointer, via the NBA:
Lillard pushed the lead to double digits, 84-72, with a three-pointer with 5:50 left, and it appeared as though Griffin was also laboring with a quad injury. David Aldridge of NBA.com thought Clippers head coach Doc Rivers should have cut his losses, especially after Paul's setback:
To the Clippers' credit, they cut the deficit to 86-79. However, Aminu hit another shot from long distance, and Allen Crabbe converted in the lane to push it back to 91-79. Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago commented on the sudden turn of luck for the visitors:
From there, the Trail Blazers went on cruise control to tie the series with the 98-84 win.
What's Next?
Game 5 is Wednesday in Los Angeles, and the series has taken on a new feel after Paul's injury.
Outside of Paul's setback, Portland has momentum after two straight victories. However, the Clippers can take solace in knowing the home team has captured every game in the series thus far, since they still have Games 5 and 7 in Los Angeles. Of course, the Clippers' first two home wins came with Paul leading the way, which means Portland has a golden opportunity to earn a victory on the road against a short-handed foe.
Paul's injury isn't the only one lingering over the series. The winner will likely play the Golden State Warriors, who will be without Stephen Curry for at least two weeks after he suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain Sunday, per Warriors PR.
While the injuries are unfortunate, the Trail Blazers have a chance to get past the short-handed Clippers and Warriors to potentially reach the Western Conference Finals.
First, though, they have to figure out a way to beat the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Postgame Reaction
The Clippers were clearly concerned with their injured stars after the game.
Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers discussed Paul, per Kavner, “He'll get evaluated tomorrow, but it obviously doesn't look very good.”
Rivers was also asked if he will move his son, Austin, into the starting point guard role without Paul. The coach said, per Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, “We may have to make a lot of changes to create scoring.”
Paul wasn’t the only injured playmaker. Griffin appeared to be dealing with a quad injury, and Rivers said, per Howard-Cooper, “We're not sure with Blake yet. I'd say 50-50 the next game with him.”
Griffin discussed his setback, via NBA TV:
As for Portland, the Trail Blazers shared coach Terry Stotts’ postgame press conference:
CSNNW.com passed along Lillard’s comments after the victory:
Lillard pointed to the group effort from Portland. If that continues for the rest of this series, the Trail Blazers will likely get a chance to knock off the defending champions in the second round.
