CP3 and Clippers stifle ice-cold Blazers for impressive 2-0 lead
It’s no secret the the Portland Trail Blazers offense follows the lead of backcourt scorers Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The duo combined for nearly 46 points per game this season to give the Blazers one of the most efficient offenses in the league, and it stood to reason that both would have to excel to give the No. 5 seed a chance in its first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. It didn’t go their way in Game 1 — Lillard and McCollum had just 30 points combined on 10-of-30 shooting in a blowout loss.
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Wednesday’s Game 2 went even worse. Head coach Terry Stotts shifted Lillard off the ball more often to help combat the Clippers’ traps, but he could only muster a 6-of-22 showing (including 0-of-6 from deep) for 17 points. McCollum struggled mightily, as well, shooting 6-of-17 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range for 16 points. The results were predictable — Portland scored 20 points or fewer in three quarters on their way to a 102-81 loss. The Clippers’ two one-sided wins have them in terrific position to take what most expected to be the West’s most competitive first-round series. The Clippers’ defense has controlled the matchup and will continue to define it until the Blazers come up with a solution.
Lillard and McCollum are now a combined 22-of-67 in the series, a figure that’s obviously not going to lead to much success for Portland. But it’s even more problematic due to the struggles of the secondary players. Starting forwards Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Harkless combined to go 9-of-26 from the field and 3-of-11 from deep, and the bench managed just 10 points to make up for the starters’ deficiencies. The Blazers better hope that everyone shoots more comfortably at the Moda Center in Games 3 and 4, because the team that took the floor at Staples Center looked out of sorts.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
