Trail Blazers at Clippers
THE STORY: The speculation swirling over the future of coach
Vinny Del Negro has quietly died down, quelled by a three-game winning
streak that has vaulted the Los Angeles Clippers into fourth place in
the tightly bunched Western Conference and moved them within 1½ games of
the Los Angeles Lakers atop the Pacific Division. The Clippers will go
for their fourth consecutive victory when they host the Portland Trail
Blazers on Friday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, CS Northwest (Trail Blazers), FS Prime Ticket (Clippers), ESPN3.com
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (24-27):
There were concerns in Portland when LaMarcus Aldridge underwent an MRI
exam on his hip Wednesday, but he allayed the fears with 25 points and
12 rebounds in Thursday’s win over New Orleans. Fresh faces have
contributed to the offense. J.J. Hickson scored in double figures for
the third time in four games since he was picked up off waivers and
second-year forward Luke Babbitt scored a career-high 16 points, nailing
four 3-pointers.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (29-21): A renewed
emphasis on defense has helped Los Angeles rebound from a three-game
losing streak. The Clippers have allowed an average of 85.3 points in
winning their last three after surrendering 104.3 points during the
three-game skid. Dunking machine Blake Griffin has been instrumental in
the recent surge, collecting three double-doubles and scoring at least
20 points in four straight games for the first time this month. He is
shooting 71.5 percent (27 of 38) in the past three games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul tied a season high with 15 assists in
Wednesday’s win over Phoenix, giving him 38 in the last three games.
2. Los Angeles has won two of three meetings this season after Portland had won five straight in the series.
3. Portland’s Jamal Crawford is 9 of 55 in his last five games and has missed his last 12 3-point attempts.