e Los Angeles Clippers aren't messing around. They overpowered thePortland Trail Blazers in a 115-95 win to take Game 1 of their first round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday in Los Angeles. Chris Paul had 28 points and 11 assists to lead the Clippers as they set the tone for the series.
Blake Griffin looked great from the opening tip, scoring 10 points in the first quarter as the Clippers led 26-21 after one. The Blazers stuck around in the second thanks to some nifty playmaking and passing by Damian Lillard. Things got a little chippy as DeAndre Jordan, Paul and Lillard argued after fighting for a dead ball, but the play seemed to ignite the Clippers, who ended the half on an 11-2 run to take a 50-42 lead at the half.
The Clippers kept pushing in the second half, extending their lead to 21 at one point in the third quarter behind superb play from Paul and some thunderous dunks from Griffin. The Blazers tried to make it interesting, but failed to climb within single digits as the Clippers made run after run and held on for an easy win even with Hack-A-DeAndre Jordan taking over down the stretch.
Lillard had 21 points in the loss. Game 2 is on Wednesday.
Here's three things we learned from Game 1:
Blake Griffin's injury isn't holding him back
Griffin stared the game 3-of-4 from the field, and never really slowed despite not looking quite at 100 percent. He had 19 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes, and was throwing down poster dunks like he hadn't missed a single game, let alone 45. The rest of the Clippers' "big three" was great, too, but Griffin was making sure Mason Plumlee had a rough, rough night.
Lillard can't figure it out against the Clippers
Lillard, who averaged 25.1 points per game this season, only put up 18.1 per game against the Clippers in the regular season. He shot a mere 32.4 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from deep, both well below his season averages. His fortunes didn't exactly turn around on Sunday.
He made some poor plays early as Clippers attacked on pick and rolls, but he did counter as the game went on, handling the Clippers' game plan with quick drives and passes. He had 13 points and five assists in the first half and looked great, but ended the night with 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Lillard didn't take over the game like he's capable of doing, but he did at least show the Clippers aren't gong to be able to run him off the court.
Will any series in the West be close?
Last year, the Clippers were one game away from the Western Conference Finals. They held onto Jordan in free agency this summer, but have been tossed aside as a contender in the West as the Warriors and Spurs have coasted to historic seasons. The Blazers, meanwhile, lost four of five starters from a playoff team that exited in the first round. Now, they're trying to prove their worth in the playoffs after shocking the league by making the playoffs.
After one game, it appears Paul isn't going to let the Clippers fall by the wayside. The star point guard missed his first three shots, but was superb from then on out, dominating Lillard and the Blazers. With the other matchups in the West being completely lopsided, this one was supposed to be competitive. After one game, however, the Clippers look like the much better team.
The Blazers have room to improve, but they had no answer defensively for Paul or any of the Clippers. Los Angeles was getting open looks all night -- they hit 53.8 percent from the field. Even if they don't make shots at that clip, the Blazers must find a way to slow down the Clippers offense. Otherwise, this series will be over shortly.
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