Chris Paul scored 41 points and had 17 assists in this 126-122 victory at Portland/Photo by Don Ryan, Associated Press
– This was a huge character victory because it took place on the road a night after the Clippers lost a 110-106 heartbreaker to the rival Golden State Warriors after leading that game by 17 points in the second quarter at Staples Center. In this one, the Clippers trailed by 19 midway through the second quarter. The win also meant the Clippers won the season series 3-1 over the Trail Blazers, and since the teams could very well meet in the first round of the playoffs, that’s big.
– So Tuesday, Chris Paul is embarrassed when he is sent twisting and sprawling on a dribble move by Golden State’s Steph Curry during the second quarter of that game. It was seemingly all anyone could talk about on the talk shows during the day Wednesday. How did Paul respond? Like the superstar that he is, with a season-high 41 points along with 17 assists.
– Paul did not want to admit that Chris Kaman shoving him down late in the third quarter helped him elevate his game even higher than it already was. Make no mistake, it ticked off his teammates and they responded in kind. First, Glen “Big Baby” Davis rushed to Paul’s defense. Then the team overcame an 11-point deficit it had at the time to emerge victorious. Seriously, this is just the kind of rally win that could bring the Clippers very close and propel them to terrific heights in the upcoming playoffs.
– The Clippers shot a splendid 53.6 percent (15 of 28) from 3-point range. Paul and J.J. Redick both made 5 of 9. The effort allowed the Clippers to raise their team percentage from beyond the arc to 37.6. That is third-best in the league behind Golden State (39.7) and Atlanta (38.4).
– Hedo Turkoglu had a nice game off the bench. He scored eight points on 3 of 4 from the field – 2 of 3 from 3-point range – in 19 minutes. He also had two assists. Teammate Matt Barnes gave him kudos. “I’ve gotta stick my hat out, especially to Turk,” Barnes said. “Turk played a big stretch in the second half, knocked down some big shots, made some big plays for us.”
