Below are quick takes on Clippers’ 115-95 Game 1 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center. The Clippers play Game 2 on Wednesday at Staples Center.
1. Player of the game: Blake Griffin. The Clippers forward made giant leaps of mankind with three thunderous dunks. They also marked giant leaps surrounding Griffin’s integration back into the lineup after missing 47 games with various injuries. Griffin posted 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting, a 9-of-12 mark from the foul line, 12 rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes by showcasing his athleticism that he had before his injuries.
He threw down a two-handed dunks over Portland center Masons Plumlee. Griffin followed that up with a two-handed jam that put Plumlee on another poster. And Griffin swatted shots away from Plumlee and Ed Davis. All in all, it marked a huge step for Griffin after averaging only 10.4 points on 40 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the five games he played since his injuries.
2. Stat of the game: 39.8. That marked the field-goal percentage Portland shot against the Clippers. The Clippers ensured such numbers by forcing anyone not named Damian Lillard to beat them. Lillard scored 21 points on only 7-of-17 shooting, while getting roughed up through whistles and non-calls. Meanwhile, Lillard’s teammates shot a collective 26-of-66 from the field.
3. Turning point: The Clippers closed out the final 4:41 of the first half with an 11-2 run. While Clippers guard Chris Paul scored eight of those points during that stretch, Portland went only 1-of-11 from the field. The Clippers maintained their lead the rest of the way.
4. Paul evolved his role. The Clippers guard spent the first quarter both struggling with his shot (1-of-4) and setting up teammates (four). It did not take long, however, for Paul to shift his gear with his aggressiveness and a rediscovered jumper. All of which helped Paul finish with a team-leading 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 11 assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes.
5. J.J. Redick brought the heat. The Clippers’ shooting guard may have missed a game and avoided any contact drills since bruising his left heel in last week’s win over Memphis. That did not stop from Redick both starting and thriving in Game 1 by finishing with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers believed Redick benefited from the extra rest stemmed from the team’s evening start on the second day of the NBA playoffs. Whatever the case, Redick appeared comfortable both moving off the ball and in planting his feet during catch-and-shoot opportunities. Still, Redick went 0-of-2 from 3-point range after making 47.5% of his attempts during the regular season.
6. ‘Hack a DJ’ was used unnecessarily. It appeared a long night awaited everyone when DeAndre Jordan airballed a foul shot only 35 seconds into the game. Or when the Trail Blazers started intentionally fouling Jordan with 40.8 seconds left in the first quarter. But with Clippers coach Doc Rivers yanking Jordan three seconds later, it appeared Portland would stop using the tactic.
That is until Trail Blazers backup center Chris Kaman brought the strategy back with the Clippers holding a 98-79 lead with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter. Despite Jordan going 6-of-12 from the foul line during that time, the Clippers held a 105-85 lead when Jordan went to the bench with 2:55 left. In other words, the tactic was pointless.
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