THE Portland Trail Blazers will have the chance to apply what they learned playing against the LA Clippers on Wednesday almost immediately as the teams face off again on a cool spring evening in Portland.
One thing the Blazers would like to avoid is falling so far behind that the Clippers start playing defense against their own players out of boredom:
Hilarious clips aside (pun intended), these two teams are not equals. While the Blazers only lost by 13, the game was nowhere near as close before garbage time, falling behind by 26 during a big Clippers run in the third quarter.
What can the Blazers do to stay competitive when Los Angeles’ three leading scorers, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden, are all healthy? Not a lot. That’s a tall order for a second-round rookie like Toumani Camara, who has both shown defensive promise and impacted Portland’s measurable defensive metrics: the Blazers rank in the 87th and 93rd percentile, respectively. in terms of opposing shots and opposing points per possession when he is on the court. , according to Glass cleaning. Still, for Camara, he needs to keep even one of these players in check when his non-central teammates include Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons and Kris Murray. And even if they could, how could the Blazers score enough to make it count?
As fans, we should just find games within the game to keep us entertained: What’s Scoot like? Does Deandre Ayton bounce back from a quiet game to continue his domination after air mattress? And will Chauncey Billups get the most out of his old mentor Ty Lue to just the second time in what will be their 11th practice match? Connect with knowledge!
LA Clippers (43-25) against Portland Trail Blazers (19-50)- Fri. March 22 – 7 p.m. Pacific
How to watch on TV: Root Sports, NBA League Pass
Trail Blazers Injuries: Anfernée Simons (probable); Justin Minaya, Matisse Thybulle (questionable); Jerami Grant (questionable); Malcolm Brogdon, Shaedon Sharpe, Robert Williams III (out).
Mower injuries: Moussa Diabaté, Norman Powell, Terance Man (daily); Russell Westbrook (outgoing).
About the opponent
The Athletic’s Law Murray (subscription required) brings us more on the hilarious clip in which James Harden closed out Kawhi Leonard and attempted to block his own teammate’s shot:
When the Clippers were at their peak, Harden was in the middle of it all — making Indiana snow angels by hitting eight 3-pointers, jumping when Leonard evaded a defender, raising the roof when he found a cutting Westbrook for an alley. oops. Even he could recognize that the Clippers needed to improve more than just their execution on the court. “I have to bring some enthusiasm to the team, you know what I mean? Harden said Wednesday. “Maybe it would have been better if he made the shot, but it gives (us) something to laugh about… a little bit of excitement for us,” Harden added.
Cole Huff of 213 Hoops brings the opposition’s take on Portland in its own match preview:
As banged up as the Blazers are, they hung around with the Clippers for a while two nights ago, mainly because they were knocking down shots from the perimeter. They shot 15 of 34 from three despite getting just two points (and 14 points total) from their best offensive weapon, Anfernee Simons. Sustained three-point shooting and a more typical performance from Simons, who possesses the youth, athleticism and ability of a pick-and-roll three-point shooter (things that bother the Clippers) would go a long way. by making a game out of it – that and literally anything from Deandre Ayton.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports sparks some discussion around Paul George, who was not offered an extension and could find a new home on the East Coast:
Stein notes that the expectation for now is that George would prefer to stay in Los Angeles. However, the two sides have yet to find an acceptable middle ground in the negotiations… The 76ers will have the cap space to give George his max as a free agent over the summer. The adjustment is simple. Philadelphia has an All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey and an MVP center at Joel Embiid. They have organized their draft list in a way that allows them to clear every existing player from their roster, except for Embiid and Maxey, this offseason if they choose, not only giving them the space to sign George, but also perhaps to keep some. from their own depth or also find it through trades with external free agents. If they stay healthy, a Philadelphia team built around Maxey, George and Embiid will almost certainly contend for a championship.
