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| Jamal Crawford |
LOS ANGELES – Even a preseason game can bring tension,
excitement and a fair share of wackiness when the Clippers and Trail
Blazers meet, particularly for the first time since their postseason
matchup.
Overtime was avoided as the Clippers pulled out a 109-108 win
Thursday night that ended in bizarre fashion in regulation, as Jamal
Crawford knocked down a go-ahead shot with less than a second left
before Portland found itself shooting a free throw at the other end.
On a night where Portland’s Al-Farouq Aminu already got ejected and
Mason Plumlee fouled out in the first half, DeAndre Jordan’s night also
ended before regulation wrapped up, as he was called for a second
technical foul after running on the court thinking Crawford’s
game-winner sealed the game.
That gave Portland a technical foul shot, which the Trail Blazers hit
to get within a point, but the Clippers preserved the win by preventing
the ensuing inbounds pass from finding its target.
Here are five takeaways from the matchup:
1) Blake fired up – The Clippers have talked about how
this is around the time to start finding a rhythm as the preseason
starts to wind down, and Blake Griffin looks to be ready to roll in
every way. Griffin was aggressive from the start, consistently fighting
his way to the rim and finding his way to the line. Twice he drew and-1
fouls on Damian Lillard – once on a fast break and once in the post –
and got another and-1 on a baseline drive against Aminu. By the end of
the first half, Griffin already posted 18 points and started working the
perimeter, knocking down his first 3-pointer of the night before
finishing with 26 points in 25 minutes of action.
2) Austin gets night off – Austin Rivers got the night
off after what he described as groin soreness following a fall during
practice. He said with two more preseason games and a full week of
practice afterward, the Clippers decided to give him the night off, but
he could’ve gone if the Clippers were playing a regular season game.
3) Luc at small forward – It was the look for the
majority of last season, and it was the look the Clippers went with to
start the game Thursday, as Luc Mbah a Moute started for the second time
this preseason. Mbah a Moute started the opener, then Austin Rivers got
a start, then Alan Anderson got a start before the Clippers went back
to Mbah a Moute. It’s possible that starting position remains a
matchup-based decision, but the Clippers could decide to use the same
look they did last year the majority of the time. Mbah a Moute, in for
his defense against the Trail Blazers’ dynamic backcourt, added six
points as well.
4) Second wind – The Clippers allowed 27 points to
Portland in the first quarter and found themselves trailing after the
first quarter when the defense stepped up a significant notch. Beginning
with strong work from the Clippers’ bench and capped off by the
starters, the Clippers began the second quarter on an 18-0 run to take
control of the game. Unfortunately for the Clippers’ backups, It didn’t
go quite as well late, as Portland came back from an 18-point deficit to
tie the game at 107 with less than a minute left to tie it before
Crawford saved the win.
5) Getting physical – Head
coach Doc Rivers said with six games instead of eight, he can not only
play his normal players more minutes, but the players themselves are
more eager to get in the game and get to work. They played physically as
they frustrated Portland’s starters with their aggression. With three
minutes still remaining in the first half, Plumlee had already fouled
out. There was plenty of chirping between the two teams between
possessions and even an ejection, as Aminu got tossed after expressing
his displeasure with a foul call. Needless to say, the Oct. 27 opener in
Portland should be an entertaining one.
