#PORvsLAC Preview
PORTLAND - The Portland Trail Blazers may be at their best when producing on the defensive end.
That doesn't mean their offensive explosiveness has slowed any.
The Trail Blazers will look to continue one of their best defensive stretches of the season and grab a fifth consecutive win Wednesday night when they face the Los Angeles Clippers, losers of five straight road games.
Portland (30-8) has held each of its last four opponents under 100 points, winning all four by an average margin of 10.7 points. The Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 106-94 on Sunday to move a season-best 22 games over .500.
The 100-point mark has been an important checkpoint for Portland's defensive efforts this season regardless of offensive production, as the Trail Blazers are 25-2 when holding the opposition to 100 or fewer points.
"Last year we were a young team and we were new to winning. I think now we are one of those teams," said Damian Lillard. "We win without depending on offense. We play together, we get along, we are confident in ourselves.
"We've won 30 games. I just think we have to keep the same mentality that we've had."
INJURY REPORT
Portland: Robin Lopez (right hand fracture) is out. Joel Freeland (right shoulder strain) is out.
LA Clippers: None.
Projected Starters
SF
PF
C
SG
PG
Season Series
Previous Games
November 8: Trail Blazers (102) at Clippers (106)
Remaining Games
March 4: Trail Blazers at Clippers (7:30 pm on CSN, ESPN, Rip City Radio 620 AM)
April 1: Clippers at Trail Blazers (7:00 pm on KGW, NBATV, Rip City Radio 620 AM)
Series Notes
Portland leads the all time series 139-68.
Promotions
In Portland's Last Game
LOS ANGELES – The Portland Trail Blazers moved to 30-8 on the season and 12-5 on the road with a 106-94 victory versus the Los Angles Lakers Sunday night at Staples Center.
“I thought we did a lot of good things, we were consistent throughout the game,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “The Lakers are a dangerous team, they’ve got a lot of guys that can make shots and they rebound the ball well. I thought we just kind of did what we needed to do.”
Portland has now won four-straight and are 8-1 in their last nine games despite playing without Robin Lopez, their starting center, and Joel Freeland, their second-string center. The Trail Blazers are the first team to 30 wins this season and have won 30 of their first 38 games for just the third time in franchise history.
And while nothing trumps wins, Sunday night’s game wasn’t exactly the exciting affair through three quarters that have made games against the Lakers some of the most anticipated among Trail Blazers fans. Sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference playoff table and without the services of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers no longer fill the role of the successful villains that they once did during their salad days as the kings of southern California