Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Blake Griffin scored 21 points and pulled down
14 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted Portland, 74-71.
Mo Williams added 17 points and six boards off the bench, while Chris Paul
chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds for the Clippers, who have won four
of five.
Nicolas Batum and Jamal Crawford led Portland with 19 points apiece, while
Wesley Matthews posted 16 points. Raymond Felton didn't score in just over 24
minutes, finishing 0-for-7 from the floor for Portland, which has lost three
of four and squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter.
Portland raced out to an early lead, scoring eight of the final 10 points to
take a 27-20 advantage into the second quarter. Crawford's trey with 5.9 ticks
to go capped the scoring in the first stanza.
The Trail Blazers then rattled off the first eight points in the second
quarter, claiming a 35-22 advantage on Thomas' mid-range jumper. The lead got
as high as 15 points and stood at 43-32 after 24 minutes of game action.
Just like the second period, Portland jumped out strong to increase its lead
in the third quarter. Matthews' three and Gerald Wallace's layup completed a
quick 7-0 burst for a 50-32 edge. The Clippers responded with the next eight,
but couldn't get closer than the 60-52 margin they faced entering the fourth
quarter.
It didn't take long for the Clippers to make things interesting, drawing
within 66-64 on Paul's layup with just over five minutes to go and taking the
lead just over a minute later on Williams' trey. Paul followed with a three-
pointer to cap an 8-0 burst, and the margin grew to 72-67 with 1:05 to play on
a Paul pull-up jumper.
Matthews kept Portland in the game with a tough trey, but Williams calmly sank
two free throws for a 74-70 game with 18.7 seconds remaining and the Clippers
hung on from there.
GAME NOTES:
The Clippers made just 38.5 percent of their shots, but Portland wasn't any
better, making 38 percent of its shots and scoring just 28 points in the
second half...The Clippers had lost six of their last seven contests with
Portland before Thursday's win.
The Sports Network