The teams shot a combined 34.5 percent in the half. He averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists through the first three games of the series, after averaging 19.5 points and 10 assists in the regular season.
Advertisement
Game 5 will take place Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Al-Farouq Aminu stepped up when it mattered most to keep the Portland Trail Blazers alive in the First-Round of the Western Conference playoffs.
“It’s not looking good for him (Paul), and it doesn’t look good for him (Griffin) either”.
Asked about Griffin, Rivers said, “it doesn’t look great for him either”. “I would say 50-50 on the next game with him”. They denied me the ball, they don’t help off me or in pick-and-rolls, so I just have to find other ways to get the ball. He did exactly what he always (did).
He still sometimes wonders what might have happened if bruising Boston center Kendrick Perkins doesn’t get hurt early in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, forcing aging veteran Rasheed Wallace into the starting lineup for Game 7 in Los Angeles. “I just feel bad for him personally because I know how much he puts into the game and how much he gives himself to the team”.
And on Monday, it was happening to all of the Clippers not named Chris Paul in the first quarter.
Paul ended the night with 16 points and four assists, while Blake Griffin and Jeff Green led the team in scoring tied at 17 points each.
The next three quarters, while not as offensively challenged, would continue along the same general path, with both teams turning the ball over and neither having much luck stringing together consecutive quality possessions.
The Warriors have a 3-1 series advantage over the Houston Rockets as it stands right now, and should they go on to eliminate the Rockets as most people anticipate, they’ll face the victor of the Portland-Los Angeles series. Last game he took four shots and they were all the same shots, so I think we all had confidence he was going to eventually break out just like Chief [Aminu].
They now travel to the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the second round on Saturday. Multiple guys stepped up. “I think that would be a foolish thing to do”. However, things will not be easy, as even on an off night, L.A. still came within a few possessions of beating Portland in Game 3.
Blazers guard Allen Crabbe, who did not make a three-pointer in the first three games of the series, hit two on Monday on his way to 12 points. 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. “But for the most part, we got whatever we wanted on the offensive end”. Handoffs, get into my one-dribble pull-ups… Just as the lead fell to two, Lillard found a little magic to close the quarter strong.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Justin Anderson had 14 and Zaza Pachulia added 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Mavericks, who were hampered by injuries throughout the series. This Chris Paul injury should affect whether he can return to play in the rest of the NBA Playoffs as well. If Curry returns for the second half of that series, it’s likely over.
Advertisement
“Chris is taking this very hard”, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “And there’s nobody, clearly, on our team who is going to do that. But as a group, everybody pitches in”.
