Los Angeles Clippers have earned themselves a strong advantage against Portland Trail Blazers at home this game by sinking an early barrage of three-pointers that allowed them to establish control.
The Blazers held off until late in the game thanks to an effective defensive effort led by Deni Avdija’s chase-down block on Paul. But, eventually they succumbed and were defeated 126-122 by the clippers vs trail blazers.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a strong home court advantage
Los Angeles Clippers will look to use their strong home court advantage against Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, hoping for another win after winning five consecutive matches and tied with Dallas Mavericks for fourth place in Western Conference standings. In order to secure playoff berths and reach postseason playoff berth, Los Angeles must win its remaining two games while hoping that Dallas Mavericks drop both.
The Clippers are led by star forward Blake Griffin, who averages 25.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 46% from the field. He will play an important role against the struggling Trail Blazers who average just 104.8 points per game; additionally, their solid defense only allows opponents to shoot 43% overall and 40% from 3-point range.
Though the Clippers possess solid defensive abilities, their offense remains somewhat inconsistent. But against an unpredictable Trail Blazers squad like Portland, their experienced bench should provide them with an advantage against its young players.
Trail Blazers’ lack of depth has been an immense issue this season. Without key players like Luc Mbah a Moute and Rodney Hood, their offensive abilities could become severely limited during this game and create major disadvantages for them in defense.
Though their recent struggles may have diminished their reputation, the Trail Blazers remain an effective team. Their defensive talent is unparalleled and their frontcourt depth is unsurpassed; all these attributes come together for an explosive defensive unit with incredible shooting ability as well as plenty of energy and great depth.
The Trail Blazers’ recent struggles are the result of inconsistent play on both ends of the court, including their inability to hold opponents under 100 points per game for any single contest. Luckily, however, their talented bench can help them turn around this poor start to the season.
The Portland Trail Blazers have a strong record
The Portland Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Based out of Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon and founded by sports promoter Harry Glickman in February 1970. Glickman procured funding, while Portland received its NBA franchise. Glickman chose “Trail Blazers” to represent Portland’s rugged outdoorsy culture and tie to Native American history while creating a front office staff including Stu Inman as director of player personnel and John White as publicist.
In their first few seasons of existence, the Blazers quickly emerged as a playoff contender thanks to Mychal Thompson’s free agency as a forward-center and Mike Schuler’s coaching, who quickly transformed them into one of the most formidable teams in Western basketball.
In the 1990s, Portland reached three conference finals in three different years. Their best season came in 1999-2000 when they posted a 59-23 record and won second seed in Western Conference – featuring Stoudamire, Anderson, Pippen and Wallace on its roster as stars who would go on to a hard-fought series loss against Los Angeles Lakers.
However, the Blazers struggled to maintain their momentum in the postseason and failed to advance beyond the first round of playoffs in each subsequent year. Their performance continued to worsen in 2005-2006 as they recorded an average 49-33 record and suffered injuries that plagued them heavily.
In the 2010s, the Blazers remained competitive, but were handicapped by frequent injuries to key players. Oden, Roy and Fernandez’s absences were especially detrimental as the team relied on young role players from younger teams like Houston and Phoenix for support in both playoff seasons; nevertheless they managed to make both rounds but fell at first round stage each time; nonetheless they showed resilience by improving defensive efficiency during both regular season play as well as playoff play but lacked some of the top Western Conference clubs’ firepower.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a strong offense
Los Angeles Clippers players rely on hardworking teammates to generate offensive firepower, and these players have proven they are capable of doing so without relying on one superstar player to do it for them. Their defense ranks among the league’s best and they rank in the top ten in rebounding; forcing turnovers and restricting three-pointers has also played a big part in winning games for them this season – giving them a good shot at making the playoffs this year.
This season’s Clippers appear more adept at finding open looks in halfcourt situations, where they rank second in scoring with 98 points per 100 possessions. That is due to an expanded set of threats and shift toward quick-decision high-pass offense, according to Second Spectrum; last season they relied heavily on pull-up threats and difficult shots before adapting their play to become more balanced this time around.
One major contributor to Ivica Zubac’s success lies with their superior rim protection, helping opponents take just 5.1% shots at the hoop on average. Their perimeter defenders also play an instrumental role, forcing opponents to shoot more long-range jumpers despite an emphasis on 3-pointers in this league – an effect which has allowed them to improve their defensive rating by nearly seven points per 100 possessions.
Paul and Harden have made for an effective combination, yet their absence leaves their teammates lacking depth. The Clippers must find ways to balance those two players out with other talent while remaining consistent with shot selection and ball handling.
Keep in mind that the Clippers are still relatively young team, and production should decline at some point in the near future. But they have enough talent to stave off regression for now; all they need to do is play more consistently and fewer mistakes – including stopping turning over the ball so often and mastering difficult shots.
The Portland Trail Blazers have a strong defense
Portland knows a strong defense is essential to their playoff hopes. That means preventing opponents from scoring more than 120 points per game and having great length on both wings with Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum and an interior presence from Robin Lopez to prevent opponents from scoring 120 or more per game. They possess some of the tools required for successful defense; if they remain focused and disciplined each night they have the potential to become one of the league’s premier defensive units.
The Blazers’ recent turnaround is being propelled by their improved defense. Opponents are shooting less from the field and in the paint, and not as many threes have been given up compared to last season, when they were among the worst defensive teams in the league.
However, the Blazers still possess several holes in their defense. They allow too many shots at the rim and do not effectively stop fast breaks – leaving them exposed against offensive attacks that can put them into tough spots in close games.
Though their defense initially appeared weak, the Blazers are gradually improving as time progresses. Their players play aggressive defense and frequently switch players around; additionally, the bench players possess stronger defensive skills than their starters and Coach Billups has demonstrated willingness to utilize them more frequently.
Although the Blazers’ defensive numbers are encouraging, their success relies on two players – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum – being healthy and productive every night; without these key figures on board, winning games becomes much harder.
Evan Turner’s addition has also strengthened their defense. Although his traditional defensive stats may not stand out, Evan has proven invaluable at disrupting opposing offenses and frustrating their players – making him an indispensable addition for their defense unit.
To remain competitive in the West, the Blazers must continue honing their defense if they wish to be competitive. That means avoiding leaving good shooters open while guarding the interior better; but they are already showing signs of being more disciplined on that end of the court.
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