Cippers Blaze A Trail

Now in their first two defeats of the NBA season; the Los Angeles Clippers actually played well and can consider themselves a little unlucky. They came back well against Golden State in the opening road trip; and were initially in control against the upstart Memphis Grizzlies in their home opener.

And in this third game of the season; they ran riot against the Portland Trail Blazers and played almost the perfect game. This game could be attributed to a few factors: the Trail Blazers were not at their best; with poor ball-handling and a ton of turnovers. The Clippers were also more tenacious than them & were first to every loose ball. They also played good defence and communicated well on switches. And the Blazers were uncharacteristically shooting the ball poorly; especially their star man Damian Lillard; who had a poor night.

And also; the Clippers' new-found L-I-T bench came up big; with Luke Kennard exploding for 6-7 on three-pointers; Isaiah Hartenstein breaking out with some key plays; and Terance Mann showing his potential again with some versatile plays.

In the end; it all added up to a Clippers 116-86 blow-out; but you sense the return visit at the Rose Garden on Friday; could well be a little different.