Paul George Outduels Damian Lillard as Clippers Cruise Past Trail Blazers

The Los Angeles Clippers may have a 51-point loss on their resume, but they are starting to look the part of championship contenders in the early going.

L.A. improved to 4-1 on the season with a 128-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Wednesday's Western Conference rivalry showdown at Staples Center. Kawhi Leonard returned for the victors after missing the last two games and helped spearhead the effort alongside Paul George.

Portland fell to 2-2 despite a solid showing from CJ McCollum.

Notable Player Stats

• Kawhi Leonard, F, LAC: 28 PTS, 7 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL
• Paul George, F, LAC: 23 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL
• Lou Williams, G, LAC: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
• Damian Lillard, G, POR: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
• CJ McCollum, G, POR: 25 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 7-of-11 3PT
• Carmelo Anthony, F, POR: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George Spearhead Balanced Clippers Effort

The biggest storyline for the Clippers coming into Wednesday's contest was the return of Leonard, who missed the 51-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks and a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He needed stitches after taking an accidental Serge Ibaka elbow on the mouth during a Christmas Day win over the Denver Nuggets and was wearing a protective mask against the Trail Blazers. It didn't seem to bother him or the Clippers as he immediately assumed the role of facilitator while the supporting cast caught fire from deep out of the gates.

L.A. drained eight threes in the first quarter alone and jumped out to a commanding 19-point lead by halftime with Ibaka, Lou Williams, Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum contributing.

It was just a matter of time before the stars also got theirs, and Leonard and George scored the home team's first 16 points of the third quarter as their side completely pulled away.

While Damian Lillard and McCollum make up quite the backcourt tandem, Portland had no answers for the two-way wings. Leonard and George could simply shoot over smaller defenders or blow past slower ones and mixed in a combination of three-pointers and attacking drives.

Portland was no match for the Clippers when the supporting cast was doing much of the heavy lifting and didn't have much of a chance when the two stars took over. It was something of a blueprint for L.A. when it comes to the playoffs with a few new pieces in the supporting cast to provide depth in the early going and then the Leonard-George combination to push the team over the top.

If the two stars play like they did Wednesday, the Clippers will be a difficult out for any team.

Damian Lillard's Shooting Struggles, Defensive Issues Doom Portland

Not that motivation is ever a question for Lillard, but there figured to be plenty of it in a showdown with the Clippers.

After all, Patrick Beverley talked plenty of trash, and George waved goodbye to him—much like Lillard did to PG13 when he was on the Oklahoma City Thunder—after the Trail Blazers guard missed a key free throw at the end of a seeding-game loss in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble. Lillard then returned the favor, offering Beverley a vacation invite after L.A.'s playoff collapse against Denver.

Perhaps he was forcing the issue, but Lillard did not look like himself for much of Wednesday's loss.

He was an ugly 3-of-14 from the field and 0-of-8 from three-point range with Beverley hounding his ball-handling and getting into his space and a litany of formidable defenders, including Leonard and George, providing help defense when needed.

It is a credit to Lillard's ability that he still was a factor in the scoring department—largely because of his ability to get to the free-throw line—but he was not the typical long-range threat who tilts the floor and overwhelms opposing defenders.

McCollum did what he could to keep the visitors within striking distance and found his stroke with seven triples, but the combination of Lillard's outside-shooting struggles and the inability to contain George and Leonard was too much for Portland to overcome.

The Clippers reached the 100-point mark in the third quarter. The Trail Blazers weren't keeping up without a strong showing from their leader.

What's Next?

Both teams are on the road Friday when the Clippers face the Utah Jazz and the Trail Blazers play the Golden State Warriors.