Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers injures his hand as he reaches in on Gerald Henderson #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the third quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center on April 25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. Making matters worse, the Clippers lost star point guard Chris Paul midway through the third quarter with a hand injury. Rivers said that it doesn’t “look great” for Griffin either, adding that Griffin is probably “50-50” to play in Game 5.
Advertisement
The Clippers limp back home with point guard Chris Paul apparently out until next season and gimpy forward Blake Griffin unsure whether he can answer the call on Wednesday for Game 5. Also, they need to figure out how to neutralize Plumlee when he gets the ball in the middle of the lane out of a Lillard or McCollum pick-and-roll.
Paul was leading the Clippers with 16 points when he left the game.
Before the injuries even took place, the Clippers were off to a slow start in Game 4. It was clear early in the game that they would both be as aggressive as possible, and Los Angeles had trouble keeping them out of the paint.
Throughout his career, Griffin has been considered one of the most dominant power forwards in the league, but he’s only played in nine games since returning from his quad injury that kept him out for most of the season.
The center also limited DeAndre Jordan to four points and 1-of-4 shooting when directly on him and held Griffin scoreless on 0 for 5 in their matchups. Durant scored 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
“From the coach staff to the players, they all said, ‘If you have open shots, take ’em, ‘” Aminu said of the encouragement from his coaches and teammates after the first three games. Aminu made 11 of 20 shots from the field, including six of 10 from 3-point range. The Clippers outscored the Trail Blazers by 13.2 points per 100 possessions with Paul on the floor and were outscored by 10.4 points per 100 possessions when he was out. Aminu had a special night and finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Those mirrored the regular-season numbers. It is a massive blow to the Clippers game plan of harassing Lillard and C.J. He was slow to switch defensively, hesitant to rise and contest players attacking the rim, and said he felt something go in his leg when he planted his feet on one play in the post.
Portland’s victory tied the series at 2-2, ahead of the fifth game in LA on Thursday afternoon (AEST).
Luckily for the Clippers, there was Paul.
Advertisement
If Paul’s injury is as serious as feared and Griffins’ injury is as grave as feared, the Clippers being level at 2-2 in the series is the least of their concerns. “I think everybody was locked in to what we needed to do as a team and we turned it up tonight from last game”.
