Photo Courtesy of Reuters
Blake Griffin
Christian Post Report – As the season draws to a close, the race for playoff spots continues to rise as the Portland Trail Blazers host the Los Angeles Clippers at Moda Center in the NBA. The match is on April 1, 2015 at 10 p.m. ET.
Battling in the fourth and fifth in the West, the Blazers and Clippers are expected to do well in the post-season – and this match could be a great measuring stick on how these two teams will do.
Furthermore, being in their respective places, these two squads are very likely to meet in the first round of the West playoffs.
They have already met three times this season, with the Clippers leading the series two games to one.
In their first meeting at Staples Center, Los Angeles held on to a close 106-102 win behind 30 big points from J.J. Redick. The sharp-shooting guard shot an impressive 11-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also had four rebounds in 38 minutes on the court. Chris Paul played his usual best with 22 points and 11 assists while Blake Griffin added 23 despite only shooting 33 percent from the field.
For the Blazers, Damian Lillard had 25 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 and Robin Lopez added 19. In the second game in Portland, it was Jamal Crawford who starred for the Clippers, scoring 25 points off the bench as they won 100-94. DeAndre Jordan had a great game with 17 points and 18 rebounds as Portland only had eight players in rotation. Aldridge dominated with 37 points but it was not enough as the usually reliable three-point shooting of the Blazers was absent, with the team only converting 23 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
Portland finally notched a win over Los Angeles in their last meeting, with the game needing to go on overtime before the visitors pulled away 98-93.
Paul led the way for the Clippers with 36 points, but the only other player who scored in double figures was Redick with 26. Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews picked up the slack for the struggling Lillard, as the trio scored 29, 20 and 12 respectively. Lillard only had five points on 1-of-13 shooting.
To watch this intense battle online, visit here. For updates and scores, go to NBA.com
Source : Christian Post