LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in an 111-80 blowout on Wednesday, November 9.
The game was never in question for Los Angeles, who jumped out to a 25-10 lead in the first quarter. Blake Griffin was dominant from the start, scoring 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in the opening period alone. The five-time all-star led the Clippers with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in their fourth consecutive victory.
“When you play defense the way we have been, it’s a lot of fun,” Griffin said after the win. “We enjoy getting stops and look forward to getting stops. Guys are just flying around, and even if someone makes a mistake, there’s another guy to cover up for them. When you are playing basketball like that, it’s a blast.”
Portland was never able to find an offensive rhythm, finishing with 14 turnovers while shooting just 6-30 from three-point range. At one point the Clippers managed to double the Trail Blazer’s score with an 87-43 lead.
The league’s second-highest scorer in Damion Lillard failed to reach double-digits, contributing just 8 points while making only one of his 10 field goal attempts in the loss. Shabazz Napier led the Trail Blazers with 11 points off of the bench.
Chris Paul scored 19 points while adding 4 rebounds and 7 assists for the Clippers, who are now a league best 7-1. Deandre Jordan narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Los Angeles will face the team that delivered them their lone loss of the season in their next matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, November 11.
