Trail Blazers Game Notes: Portland Trail Blazers (5-5) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (5-4)

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (5-5) AT LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (5-4)

Tuesday, November 9, 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) • STAPLES Center

Los Angeles, California

ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 148-85

PORTLAND HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 89-26

LA CLIPPERS HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 58-57

LAST PORTLAND WIN: 111-92, 10/29/21 (Por.)

LAST LA CLIPPERS WIN: 116-86, 10/25/21 (LAC)

CURRENT WIN STREAK: One (Por.)

• Tuesday's game is the third of four meetings between the Trail Blazers and the Clippers this season. The season series is tied, 1-1.

• LAST GAME: The Trail Blazers beat the Clippers in Portland on Oct. 29, 111-92. Damian Lillard led Portland with 25 points (9-17 FG, 5-7 3-PT, 2-2 FT) to go with four rebounds, six assists and one steal. For the Clippers, Paul George had 42 points (15-24 FG, 6-9 3-PT, 6-9 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

• Damian Lillard has averaged 18.5 points (40.6% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 100% FT), 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games against the Clippers this season. Lillard's 25 points against the Clippers on Oct. 29 were the most he has scored against LA since Dec. 17, 2018.

• In two games against the Clippers this season, CJ McCollum has averaged 17.0 points (38.2% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 100% FT), 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

• Paul George is averaging 28.0 points (52.5% FG, 47.1% 3-PT, 66.7% FT), 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.50 steals in two games against Portland this season. George has scored 30-plus points in three of his last four games against the Trail Blazers.

• In two games against the Trail Blazers this season, Luke Kennard has averaged 19.5 points (56.0% FG, 55.6% 3-PT, 100% FT), 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He scored a season-high 23 points against Portland on Oct. 25.

• CONNECTION: Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and assistant coach Roy Rogers were both assistant coaches with the LA Clippers last season. Billups played two seasons for the Clippers from 2011-13.

• CONNECTION: Clippers forward Nicolas Batum played the first seven seasons of his career for the Trail Blazers, averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

• CONNECTION: Portland center Cody Zeller and Clippers forward Nicolas Batum were teammates in Charlotte for five seasons from 2015-20.

LEADING THE WAY: The Trail Blazers hired Chauncey Billups as the 15th head coach in franchise history on June 27, 2021. Billups is making his debut as a head coach in the 2021-22 season. He spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach for the LA Clippers, helping lead the team to a 47-25 record and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

17,000 POINTS: With his 25th point against the Lakers on Nov. 6, Damian Lillard reached 17,000 points for his career. Playing in his 692nd game, Lillard was the 17th-fastest player in NBA history to reach that total.

NURK'S NIGHT: Jusuf Nurkic recorded 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field (3-5 FT) to go with 17 rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block against the Lakers on Nov. 6. He is the second player in team history to record at least 15 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 100% from the field (Calvin Natt, 3/18/82 vs. Golden State).

ROCO'S RUN: Robert Covington had a season-high 19 points (7-12 FG, 5-10 3-PT) to go with five rebounds and one steal against Indiana on Nov. 5. Nine of his points came in the fourth quarter on perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the three-point-line. All three tiples came in the final four minutes of the game.

STORMIN' NORMAN: Norman Powell scored a season-high 25 points (8-14 FG, 3-4 3-PT, 6-6 FT) against Indiana on Nov. 5 after scoring 23 points at Cleveland on Nov. 3 and 22 points at Philadelphia on Nov. 1. It is the first time he has scored 20-plus points in three straight games for the Trail Blazers. For the season, Powell is shooting 50.5% from the field, 43.6% from the three-point-line, and 86.7% from the free-throw stripe.

3J McCOLLUM: CJ McCollum is third in the NBA in three-pointers made (39) and fifth in three-pointers attempted (96). He has made at least four shots from deep in seven out of 10 games so far this season.

BENCH BUCKETS: Anfernee Simons led Portland's bench with 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-6 3-PT) against the Pacers on Nov. 5, marking his fourth straight game scoring 15-plus points. Simons is fifth in the NBA in total bench points this season (140) and is sixth in three-pointers made off the bench (25).

BEAST ON THE BOARDS: Jusuf Nurkic matched his season high with 17 rebounds against the Lakers on Nov. 6. He has led the Trail Blazers in rebounds in all 10 games so far this season. Nurkic ranks fifth in the NBA in rebounds (11.9) and 12th in offensive boards per game (3.1).

DAME DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Damian Lillard recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Philadelphia on Nov. 1, finishing with 20 points and 10 assists in 36 minutes. Lillard ranks fourth in the league in assists per game (8.5). He leads the NBA in points-assists double-doubles this season (4).

THE LITTLE THINGS: Nassir Little has corralled 19 offensive rebounds this season, which is the second-most in the NBA for players 6'7" or shorter. His 17 offensive boards off the bench are the sixth-most by any reserve in the NBA this season.

A BLOCK AND A STEAL: CJ McCollum recorded at least one block and one steal in each of the first five games this season. He is the first player in franchise history to have a steal and a block in each of Portland's first five games of a season.

TOP 100 SCORER: With his 13th point against the Kings on Oct. 20, Damian Lillard moved past Elton Brand into the top 100 on the NBA all-time scoring list.

CJ SCORING: CJ McCollum scored the 10,000th point of his career on Oct. 20 against the Kings. He is the eighth player in team history with 10,000 points. With his 15th point against the Grizzlies on OCt. 27, McCollum passed Jerome Kersey for sixth on the Trail Blazers all-time scoring list.

5. Cliff Robinson - 10,405 points

6. CJ McCollum - 10,192 points

7. Jerome Kersey - 10,067 points

LETTING IT FLY: The Trail Blazers matched a franchise record with 55 three-pointers attempted (made 15) against the Lakers on Nov. 6. It was the seventh time in franchise history that Portland attempted at least 50 shots from deep. Portland ranks second in the NBA in three-pointers made per game (14.9) and fourth in attempts (41.8).

NBA 75th ANNIVERSARY TEAM: Damian Lillard was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team on Oct. 21. He joins former Trail Blazers Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Carmelo Anthony, and Lenny Wilkens on the list.

NEW IN TOWN: During the 2021 offseason, the Trail Blazers added Tony Snell, Dennis Smith Jr., Ben McLemore, Trendon Watford and Cody Zeller via free agency, Larry Nance Jr. via trade and Greg Brown III via the 2021 NBA draft. McLemore (53.0%), Snell (54.4%) and Zeller (58.5%) have all started over half of their career games since being drafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, while Nance has started 123 of his 350 career games (35.1%).

Game #10 - Portland 105, L.A. Lakers 90 — November 6, 2021, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

The Trail Blazers dominated the Lakers in the first and third quarters, helping to secure a 105-90 victory at Moda Center ... It was Portland's second straight win and their fifth straight victory at home ... Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 25 points (9-19 FG, 6-14 3-PT, 1-2 FT) to go with three rebounds, six assists and two steals ... Lillard's final points gave him 17,000 points for his career ... Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting (3-5 FT) ... It was the second time in team history that a player had at least 15 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 100% from the field ... Norman Powell added 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks ... Robert Covington had 12 points (4-8 FG, 4-7 3-PT, four rebounds, two steals and a block ... Malik Monk led the Lakers with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Game #9 - Portland 110, Indiana 106 — November 5, 2021, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

The Trail Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak and earned their fourth straight home with a 110-106 victory over Indiana at Moda Center ... CJ McCollum led the way for Portland, finishing with 27 points (11-19 FG, 5-9 3-PT) to go with five rebounds and six assists ... Norman Powell had 25 points (8-14 FG, 3-4 3-PT, 6-6 FT), two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block ... Robert Covington had a season-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (5-10 3-PT) to go with five rebounds and one steal ... Anfernee Simons led the Portland bench with 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-6 3-PT), one rebound, one assist and one block ... Damian Lillard had four points and 11 assists ... Lillard's four points matched his career low for scoring ... T.J. McConnell led the Pacers with 19 points (8-13 FG, 3-4 3-PT), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block ... Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Game #8 - Cleveland 107, Portland 104 — November 3, 2021, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

The Trail Blazers lost a close game to the Cavaliers in Cleveland, 107-104, marking their third straight loss ... Damian Lillard missed a three-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter that would have forced overtime ... Lillard finished with a team-high 26 points (10-27 FG, 3-12 3-PT, 3-5 FT) to go with three rebounds, eight assists and two steals ... Norman Powell added 23 points (9-16 FG, 3-6 3-PT, 2-3 FT), three rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in 32 minutes ... CJ McCollum had 21 points (7-19 FG, 4-9 3-PT, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block ... Anfernee Simons scored 15 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting (1-4 3-PT, 2-2 FT) ... Cody Zeller added seven points and five rebounds ... The Cavaliers were led by Jarrett Allen, who recorded 24 points (9-15 FG, 6-9 FT), 17 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.

Game #7 - Philadelphia 113, Portland 103 — November 1, 2021, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Portland fell to 0-3 on the road this season, losing to the 76ers in Philadelphia, 113-103 ... Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons ... Norman Powell scored a season-high 22 points (8-12 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 5-5 FT) to go with one rebound in 29 minutes ... Damian Lillard logged a double-double of 20 points (7-20 FG, 2-9 3-PT, 4-5 FT) and 10 assists to go with seven rebounds ... CJ McCollum finished with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal ... Anfernee Simons added 17 points off the bench, shooting 7-of-12 from the field (3-7 3-PT) while notching three rebounds, three assists and two steals ... Jusuf Nurkic had seven points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks ... Philadelphia was led by Seth Curry, who finished with 23 points (10-17 FG, 3-10 3-PT), six rebounds and five assists ... Georges Niang added 21 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Game #6 - Charlotte 125, Portland 113 — October 31, 2021, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

The Trail Blazers held a seven-point lead at halftime but struggled to stop the Hornets in the second half, leading to a 125-113 loss in Charlotte ... The Hornets made 20 three-pointers (of 42) on 47.6% shooting from deep ... The Trail Blazers assisted on 17 of their 22 first half field goals ... CJ McCollum led Portland with 25 points (10-24 FG, 4-11 3-PT, 1-2 FT) to go with two rebounds and eight assists ... Anfernee Simons added 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting (5-9 3-PT, 2-2 FT) in 19 minutes off the bench ... Jusuf Nurkic logged a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds to go with two steals and one block ... Damian Lillard had 14 points (5-20 FG, 2-14 3-PT, 2-2 FT) and 12 assists ... Norman Powell chipped in 14 points and five assists ... LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 27 points (10-20 FG, 4-9 3-PT, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds and seven assists ... Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points off the bench.

For the Trail Blazers, there are no injuries to report.As for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard (right knee; injury recovery), Marcus Morris Sr. (left knee; injury maintenance), and Jason Preston (right foot; injury recovery) are out.

Tuesday’s game can be seen nationally on TNT. On the radio side, Travis Demers, Michael Holton and Jay Allen will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations of the Deschutes Brewery Trail Blazers Radio Network.