The Clippers look to repeat recent history and beat the Blazers again, this time on Portland’s home court.
After a shaky bout against the Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Clippers hope to bounce back with another win against the Portland Trail Blazers, this time in Portland, tonight.
The last contest with the Blazers ended very favorably for the Clippers, who, through a revitalization of their defense and key bench contributions, worked their way to a 30-point blowout. And after the performance on Wednesday, this might be what the Clippers need to get back in their groove.
Game Information
When: Friday, October 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: MODA Center, Portland, OR
How to watch/listen: NBA TV & Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570 Radio
Opposing perspective: Blazer’s Edge
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Eric Bledsoe, Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Nicolas Batum, Ivica Zubac
Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Nassir Little, Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic
Injuries/Absences
Clippers: Keon Johnson — QUESTIONABLE; Brandon Boston Jr., Marcus Morris Sr., Serge Ibaka, Kawhi Leonard, Jason Preston — OUT
Trail Blazers: Norman Powell — QUESTIONABLE; Tony Snell — OUT
Through their more recent contests over the last couple of years, the Clippers have found tremendous success guarding Damian Lillard, and they hope to continue that tonight. In their first and only win of the season, coming against these Blazers, they were able to hold Lillard to 12 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds, on just 4-of-15 from the field and 0-of-8 from deep, complete with 4 turnovers and a plus-minus of minus-22. This just adds on to a list of forgettable games to start Dame’s season. Still, expect the Clippers to continue to respect the bonafide star and scoring machine that Lillard is, and rightfully so.
Containing CJ McCollum will also be a challenge, as the nine-year veteran from has been on a heater to start the season, averaging 26.8 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 47.6 percent from 3-point range.
For the Clippers, Paul George will look to get back into rhythm against a familiar foe. After averaging 28 points in his first three games to start the season, he missed all eight of his 3-point attempts against the Cavs en route to just a 12-point outing. His defense, however, remains stellar, averaging 4 steals through the first few games of this season.
Expect to see more of the Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Isaiah Hartenstein trio off the bench, who Ty Lue credited after their last game against Portland. They were intent on getting out there, and “playing with a purpose,” Lue said.
This game is an opportunity to get back into the win column against an offensive scheme the Clippers have found success limiting and a defensive scheme the Clippers understand how to exploit. By no means will it be easy, however, as the Blazers will surely come into this game with a vengeance, looking to defend homecourt and respond to Monday’s outing.