The Trail Blazers will conclude their slate of preseason games in Los Angeles against the Clippers Friday night, marking the two teams' second meeting of the preseason. LaMarcus Aldridge will sit this one out to nurse a minor groin injury and Steve Blake will make his return to the lineup after sitting out the past two games with an upper respiratory illness.
Portland picked up the win in the first matchup, 119-114 on October 12 at the Moda Center. In that game, Wesley Matthews and CJ McCollum combined to score 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting, including 11-for-15 from downtown. Damian Lillard sat out to rest his ankle.
- The game will be broadcasted live on NBA TV and Rip City Radio 620 AM.
- Be sure to include #PORatLAC in your Tweets and Instagram posts for a chance to be featured on trailblazers.com.
Game Story Highlights Photos Box Score
FIRST QUARTER
The two teams were ice cold for the first couple minutes of the game, which could have been attributed to the lack of fans in attendance. It didn't take long for things to heat up, though, as Chris Kaman played big inside and Damian Lillard knocked down a pair of triples. Joel Freeland was the first big off the bench (Chris Kaman started in place of LaMarcus Aldridge), McCollum was the first guard off the bench.
LEADERS THROUGH ONE
SECOND QUARTER
Portland stretched their lead to 15 points midway through the quarter, behind early scoring from Kaman and a scoring spree from Damian Lillard. Dame had nine in the quarter, including a monster two-handed dunk on the baseline. Former Oregon State Beaver Jared Cunningham had five points in the quarter for the Clippers, while Griffin paced the home team with six in the period. Chris Paul picked up his fourth foul late, but stayed in the game, leading his team on a 10-3 run to end the half.
LEADERS THROUGH TWO
THIRD QUARTER
The Clippers pulled within two, at 57-55, two minutes into the second half. But the Trail Blazers were able to keep the home team at bay behind three consecutive 3-pointers from Wesley Matthews (2) and Lillard (1), before stretching their lead back to a comfortable position for the remainder of the quarter. Wesley Matthews used his strength advantage with JJ Redick in the post, with Portland running their offense through the shooting guard on the block for a stint. Lillard picked up a fifth foul towards the end of the quarter. Both teams gave their starters their regular rotation.
LEADERS THROUGH THREE
FOURTH QUARTER
All 10 starters sat out the final quarter of the preseason, giving valuable experience to the reserves in what turned out to be a tight finish. The Clippers subs went on a 10-0 run to climb within three points, 89-86, with 2:26 remaining. Victor Claver scored four straight points to give Portland some breathing room, which eventually sealed the deal. Will Barton and Thomas Robinson entered the game for the first time late in the period.
FINAL LEADERS
LINE OF THE NIGHT
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
TWEET OF THE NIGHT