Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan has been a demon on the boards

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

Amid the injuries that have taken Chris Paul and Blake Griffin out of the L.A. Clippers’ first-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers, has been the rebounding prowess of Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan on Friday entered Game 6 at Moda Center in Portland with a chance to become the first player since 2008 to grab at least 15 rebounds in five consecutive playoff games. San Antonio’s Tim Duncan did it when he pulled down 18, 16, 21, 17 and 15 in the Spurs’ 4-1 Western Conference finals series loss to the Lakers in ’08. Jordan had 12 rebounds in Game 1 of this series. He since has had 18, 16, 15 and 17.

Coach Doc Rivers has been impressed.

“He’s been great,” said Rivers, whose team was down 3-2 before Friday. “I mean, D.J.’s been great all year, not just this series, so it’s nothing that’s that surprising to me.”

Jordan was the league’s leading rebounder in the playoffs with a 15.6 average.

Jordan was one of three Clippers who were invited to vie for a roster spot on the USA National team that will compete in this summer’s Rio Games. Paul pulled out long before he fractured his right hand in Game 4 on Monday at Moda Center. And now that Griffin’s partially torn left quad tendon has again taken him out of action, chances are Jordan will be the only Clippers player going for a spot on the USA roster.

“That would be a great experience for him,” Rivers said. “I think Chris pulled out already and now Blake’s injury. I think Blake wouldn’t play because of it,
but I actually think he could. But I don’t think he will. But D.J., it would be a great experience for him.”

Doc Rivers knows few are expecting Clippers in conference finals

Warriors Clippers Basketball

Doc Rivers/AP photo by Danny Moloshok

 

By and large, the Clippers are not expected to be in the Western Conference finals. What most are saying is that it will be Golden State and San Antonio. Coach Doc Rivers knows that, but he doesn’t mind one bit. He doesn’t believe his players are concerned with that, either.

“I haven’t heard a lot of guys talking about that,” he said at Saturday’s morning shootaround ahead of Game 3 of the first-round series between the Clippers and Portland at Moda Center; the Clippers lead 2-0. “We just believe we’re a good team. And we just have to prove it by our wins and our play. But Golden State deserves everything they’re getting. They won 73 games. If you don’t talk about them, you’;re being silly.

“They get it all, and, to me, the two teams that everyone should be talking about are the two teams we’re talking about – them and San Antonio. I mean, I hear it every day – that Western Conference finals series is set up already. But I think there is nothing wrong with people making that assumption. We just don’t agree with it. And there is nothing wrong with that either.”

 

Five things to take from Clippers’ 108-87 loss at San Antonio

Jamal Crawford

 

– The Clippers’ bench was terrible in this game. Reserves scored just 20 points, compared to 51 by San Antonio’s. Jamal Crawford shot 1 of 9, Austin Rivers 1 of 5 as the bench shot just 6 of 22 from the field. That’s 27.2 percent.

Chris Paul’s statistics show he had a good game, scoring a team-high 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting while doling out eight assists and making three steals. However, he scored just four of those points in the second half.

– One would have thought that since the Clippers trailed by just a point (71-70) after three quarters, they would have been in the game until the end. But once the Spurs really got rolling in the fourth quarter, there was nothing the Clippers could do to stop them. San Antonio outscored the Clippers 37-17 in the fourth.

– San Antonio’s Danny Green is having his worst season from 3-point range since his rookie campaign in 2009-10. Yet he made 4 of 5 from beyond the arc in this one. Even so, he’s still shooting just 33.9 from distance after shooting 41.8 percent a season ago. Green scored 12 big points.

– Speaking of San Antonio’s bench, it got 15 points and five rebounds and six assists from Patty Mills and 13 points and two assists from Manu Ginobili. They shot a combined 11 of 17 (64.7 percent).

Chris Paul talks about how Spurs ‘put a 37-point quarter on us’

(AP Photo/Eric Gay). Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives around San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in San Antonio.

Chris Paul of the Clippers drives around San Antonio’s Tim Duncan in Tuesday night’s game in San Antonio, won 108-87 by the Spurs/AP photo by Eric Gay

 

Just think, the Clippers were down by one measly point (71-70) entering the fourth quarter of what had been a hotly contested game at San Antonio on Tuesday night. Then, boom, the Spurs exploded and before the Clippers knew it, they were on the wrong end of a 108-87 score. San Antonio (57-10) is now 33-0 at home.

Asked for an explanation, Chris Paul said a mouthful.

“They just did what they usually do at home,” he said. “They turned up the intensity, the pressure a little bit, and put a 37-point quarter on us.”

The Spurs outscored the Clippers 37-17 in the final 12 minutes.

Paul led the Clippers (42-24) with 22 points, eight assists and three steals. He talked about how it seemed like things got out of hand in a hurry in that final stanza.

“Pretty quick,” he said. “Jamal (Crawford) had a shot at the top of the key and it sort of went in and out to start the quarter. I think (Manu) Ginobili hit a 3 or something from the wing and they just started getting put-back after put-back, and it started to get away from us.”

Next up for the Clippers are the Houston Rockets (34-33) on Wednesday night in Houston.

 

 

 

Down by a point after 3 quarters, Clippers lose by 21 at San Antonio

Chris Paul

Chris Paul/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers

 

The Clippers trailed the San Antonio Spurs by just a point at 71-70 after three quarters Tuesday night at San Antonio. But the Spurs opened the fourth quarter on a 26-9 run and rolled to a 108-87 victory over the Clippers. It was the first game of a five-game road trip that continues Wednesday in Houston.

Chris Paul led the Clippers (42-24) with 22 points, DeAndre Jordan scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Jeff Green scored 15 and J.J. Redick had 14 points. The foursome shot a combined 26 of 47 (55.3 percent).

It was the bench that hurt the Clippers. Reserves shot a combined 6 of 22 (27.2 percent). Sixth-man Jamal Crawford was 1 of 9 from the field, Austin Rivers 1 of 5.

The bench scored just 20 points. The Spurs’ bench scored 51.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs (57-10) with 20 points, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 17 and Patty Mills had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench. Manu Ginobili had 13 points in reserve and Danny Green scored 12 while making 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

San Antonio is now 33-0 at home.

 

 

VIDEO: Chris Paul takes advantage of Patty ‘One Shoe’ Mills

Chris Paul scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting in the first half Tuesday night at San Antonio, the Spurs leading 48-44 at the break. Paul took advantage of the Spurs’ Patty Mills on this play as Mills lost one of his shoes at the other end before Paul made him pay for it on this sweet move and basket late in the first quarter. Check it out: