Preview: Portland At L.A. Clippers
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, November 30, 2015
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles Clippers will try to put together their first three-game winning streak since opening the season 4-0 when they host Portland on Monday. Behind 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists by Blake Griffin, the Clippers posted a 107-99 victory over Minnesota on Sunday in the third of six straight games at home.
Los Angeles shot 52 percent – just a shade below a season high established in the season opener – to improve to 7-4 at home. The Clippers are 3-2 on the front end of back-to-backs but 1-3 on the back end, including three straight losses, one of which came at Portland on Nov. 20. The Trail Blazers are coming off a 108-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, getting a combined 57 points from starting guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The latter has scored at least 15 points in all 17 games this season after averaging 5.3 and 6.8 in his first two campaigns.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (7-10): Portland’s 3-1 surge began with that 102-91 win over the Clippers at home earlier this month, which also snapped a seven-game losing streak. Lillard was his usual self with 27 points and seven assists while three others had at least 17 points in the win, which still stands as the Blazers’ best defensive scoring effort. Reserve center Ed Davis had season highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds in that victory and has a double-double in each of the two games in which he has played at least 30 minutes this season.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (9-8): Part of Los Angeles’ solid shooting effort against Minnesota was due to J.J. Redick’s 7-of-12 showing, and the veteran guard seems to be hitting his stride after a three-game layoff earlier in the month. That bodes well for the Clippers, who have won their last three games in which Redick hits on 50 percent of his shots and have lost three straight when he falls short of that mark. The sharpshooter is shooting 52.9 percent while averaging 16.3 points in team victories, compared to 43.3 percent and 11.5 in the six losses of which he has been a part.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Los Angeles C DeAndre Jordan has been held to single digits in scoring for three straight games, his longest stretch since prior to last season’s All-Star break.
2. Blazers SF Al-Farouq Aminu has made 34.2 percent of his 3-pointers after shooting 27.4 percent last season with Dallas.
3. Clippers SG Jamal Crawford is shooting 20.5 percent over a five-game slump while making 3-of-18 3-pointers.
PREDICTION: Clippers 102, Trail Blazers 100