Clippers Beat Blazers 111-80, Improve To NBA-Best 7-1

Blake Griffin had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers with a 111-80 home victory Wednesday night to improve to an NBA-best 7-1 with their fourth straight win.

Clippers Beat Blazers 111-80, Improve To NBA-Best 7-1

It marked the second time the Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers this season.

”When you play defense the way we have been, it’s a lot of fun,” Griffin said. ”We enjoy getting stops and look forward to getting stops. Guys are just flying around, and even if someone makes a mistake, there’s another guy to cover up for them. When you are playing basketball like that, it’s a blast.”

 Los Angeles shocked Portland from tip-off, and maintained a comfortable lead all throughout the night. The Clippers shot 59 percent in the first quarter, and built a 32-point lead in the first half, during which Griffin scored 17 points.

The home bench opened the second quarter on a 14-2 run to get ahead 50-18 before stretching the lead to 61-32 at halftime.

”We got our (rear ends) whupped,” Blazers guard Damian Lillard said. ”They had a lot of energy and they wanted it more than we did. They hurt us on the glass and we didn’t take anything away from them.”

Lillard, the league’s second-leading scorer at 32.8 points per game, was held to eight. C.J. McCollum, who was averaging 22.9 points, also chipped in eight for Portland.

 Shabazz Napier led the Blazers with 11 points, his last shot a 3-pointer that came with under 2 minutes remaining. He was the only Blazer to score in double digits.

 DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and nine rebounds and J.J. Redick added 10 points for the Clippers, who sat their starters for good at 3:54 of the third quarter while owning a 44-point lead.

 ”We kept telling each other to not play the score and respect the game,” Jordan said of keeping up the defensive pressure. ”We wanted to make shots they took tough.”

It marked the fourth consecutive game that the Clippers had at least an 18-point lead in the first half.

It was one of three signature dunks by Jordan in a third period that ended with consecutive 3-pointers by reserves Marreese Speights and Austin Rivers, leaving the Clippers ahead an impressive 93-50.

Los Angeles held Portland to 35 percent shooting. The Blazers shot just 6 of 30 on 3-pointers as their three-game winning streak was snapped.

”The Clippers beat us at both ends,” coach Terry Stotts said. ”They were good at the rim, good on the free throw line, good at passing, good on defense, good in transition.”

The Blazers next host the Sacramento Kings on Friday, at team that has lost to Portland in six straight games.

The Clippers will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, the only team they have lost to thus far.

 LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 09: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers scores on a jumper over Mason Plumlee #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers during a 111-80 Clippers win at Staples Center on November 9, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

Article by Pablo Mena