Clippers lose Chris Paul in 102-87 victory over Trail Blazers
Clippers guard Chris Paul wrestles for the ball with Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee during first half action.
The Clippers have done plenty of rebounding in recent days, for those who have been keeping tabs on their record.
They’re winning games with regularity for the first time since the season’s first week and needed to overcome an especially jarring setback Monday night when Chris Paul left midway through the third quarter because of a rib-muscle strain.
The Clippers bounced back just fine in a battle of teams without their starting point guards for most of the second half, persevering for a 102-87 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center that represented their third consecutive victory.
There was also a delightful twist in the rebounding category, a continual sore spot since the season opener. The Clippers finally outrebounded an opponent in the season’s 18th game, their 55-54 edge in that department helping them stave off potential NBA ignominy.
Only the 1991-92 Washington Bullets (19 games) and 1999-2000 Dallas Mavericks (24 games) opened a season with a longer stretch of games in which they did not outrebound an opponent since rebounds became an official statistic in 1950, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan’s season-high 24 rebounds and 18 points helped him shrug off a regrettable game at the free-throw line, where he missed 22 of a career-high 34 attempts. The 22 misses tied Wilt Chamberlain for most in a game since the 1963-64 season.
“It’s just more practice,” Jordan said. “It gets boring and it makes me miss my reservations for after the game.”
Fans booed throughout a nearly two-minute stretch of game time late in the fourth quarter that lasted much longer in real time as the Trail Blazers continually sent Jordan to the free-throw line. Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said he’s not in favor of changing the rule that allows teams to intentionally foul but understood the fans’ disdain.
“It’s no fun to watch, I can tell you that,” Rivers said, “and I think we’re going to keep addressing it.”
Blake Griffin had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, who aced their do-over from a loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland 10 days earlier.
The Trail Blazers were so thin at point guard after All-Star Damian Lillard sat out the second half because of abdominal pain that they had to briefly use Tim Frazier, a third-stringer a few Clippers didn’t recognize when they watched pregame video on their recent trip to Portland.
Paul clutched his abdomen as he walked toward the locker room midway through the third quarter after logging 10 points and six assists in 24 minutes.
Rivers said he did not know how long Paul might be out and that the point guard would be reevaluated before the Clippers’ next game, Wednesday against Indiana.
While noting Jordan’s rebounding brilliance, Rivers also credited the boost his team received from forwards Lance Stephenson (10 rebounds) and Luc Mbah a Moute (five) in ending its rebounding drought.
“It still felt like they had a lot of offensive rebounds,” Griffin said of the Trail Blazers, who had 13 on that end of the court, “but any time you can win the rebounding battle, it’s great.”
The Clippers were as horrid in the second quarter as they were wow-worthy in a first quarter in which they raced to a 15-point lead. They made only four of 21 shots (19.0%) and turned the ball over five times in the second quarter, falling behind by five points before a late flurry helped them pull into a 49-49 tie at halftime.
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