This is a big game for both teams jockeying for position as they head into the All-Star break. The Clippers (4th) sit one game behind the Blazers (3rd), and both teams face the Spurs (2nd) coming out of the break. The next few games will determine where these three teams rank in the West going into the second half, and it starts with tonight's game.
Portland is coming off a close loss to Oklahoma city last night, while the Clippers last played three nights ago in their franchise-best destruction of Philly. As a result, the Clippers are actually favored by 9.5 points tonight.
In terms of matchups, this should be a great one. The Blazers and Clips rank 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the league in offense. The over-under tonight? 218. The Clippers' two all-stars play PG & PF. So do the Blazers' two all-stars.
INJURY UPDATE
LAC: J.J. Redick (hip) will miss his fourth straight game, according to Rivers.
POR: Mo Williams (personal) was granted an indefinite leave by the Blazers on Feb. 7 and has missed the past three games. The Blazers hope to have him back tonight. Joel Freeland (knee) went down in the first quarter with an MCL sprain against the Thunder and will miss 4-8 weeks.
SEASON SERIES
Dec. 26, 2013 at Moda Center: Trail Blazers 116, Clippers 112 (OT)
Feb. 12, 2014 at Staples Center
Apr. 16, 2014 at Moda Center
NOTES
Paul is 17 points away from scoring 11,000 for his career... Griffin is seeking to score 25 points or more in eight consecutive games, which would tie Elton Brand for the most in Los Angeles Clippers history… LaMarcus Aldridge has scored double figures in each of Portland’s first 52 games. He’s the only Trail Blazers player to do so… Jordan has rebounded in double figures in 31 consecutive games, a franchise record... The Clippers have won three games in a row against Portland at Staples Center… A Portland win would ensure they win the season series over the Clippers. L.A. has not dropped a season series against the Blazers since 2010-11… Portland has the eighth youngest roster in the league (25.4 years old is the average age)… Portland is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range as a team (fourth in the league). The Clippers are the No. 1 3-point defense… The Clippers are 22-4 at home…
According to Synergy Sports, the Blazers are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of pick-and-roll defense. They allow 0.835 points per possession against pick-and-roll ball handlers (26th in the NBA) and are only slightly better against the roll man (17th in the league in points per possession). The Clippers, according to Synergy, score 22 percent of their points out of pick-and-roll offense, including ranking first in points scored by the pick-and-roll ball-handler. Predominantly that means Paul or Crawford.
