Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Preview, Watch

The Portland Trail Blazers face the Los Angeles Clippers in the second game of a series in which the Blazers play six of seven away games. Portland comes into the game following a double-digit loss to the Sacramento Kings for the second night in a row.

The Clippers come into this game as winners of their last two games, despite being without the services of Kawhi Leonard earlier this season. Los Angeles picked up a win over the Golden State Warriors in their last game.

Portland Trail Blazers (1-3) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-1) – Wed. Oct. 30 – 7:30 p.m. Pacific

How to watch via antenna or cable: See yours Options on Rip City Television Network

How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else

Trail Blazers injuries: Shaedon Sharpe, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III (out)

Clipper injuries: Kawhi Leonard, PJ Tucker, Mo Bamba (out)

The Clippers suffered a major loss in the offseason when forward Paul George decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The Clippers brought in a number of wingers to fill that void, including former Blazers forwards Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. However, they suffered another major blow when Kawhi Leonard was sidelined indefinitely.

The Clippers have been able to weather this storm so far thanks to some great performances from their top players. James Harden has averaged 25.0 points and 11.7 assists in three games this season, and his pick-and-roll partner Ivica Zubac has come out of the gate full of fire. He’s averaging 22.7 points and 14.0 rebounds in three games, both well above his averages from last season. Of course, the small sample size leaves plenty of room for variance in the stats, but the fact remains that the Clippers appear to have found a formula for consistent offense early this season despite being without the services of Leonard.

Key matchups with young defensive stars in Portland will be the most important thing to watch for in this game. Donovan Clingan will get the Zubac job every time the two share the field, and Toumani Camara will likely have to face Harden quite a bit. It will be interesting to see if the pair can hold their own, especially if one or both get caught in the pick-and-roll.

What you should pay attention to

Neither team has found their shot from distance so far this season, with Portland ranking 27th with a 30.5% shooting rate and the Clippers not too much at 25th with a 31.9% shooting rate are far ahead. If neither team is able to get into a rhythm behind the arc, Portland could find itself at a disadvantage with no way to score easy points. Harden is an excellent pick-and-roll ball handler and Zubac serves as the perfect roll man for Harden. The duo scores easy points near the rim almost at will, and that combination could prove deadly for the Blazers.

About the opponent

Athlon Sports’ Arjun Julka talks about the Big 3 in Los Angeles – Harden, Zubac and Norman Powell – who contributed to their strong start:

Powell was promoted to the starting line-up and the 1.90 meter tall guard has developed into the ideal backcourt partner for Harden. He takes on the more difficult defensive tasks and spreads the field on offense.

With perfect pick-and-roll play, Harden and Zubac are leading the league in assists and rebounds, respectively. As The Beard looks to tap into his Houston roots, the 6-foot LAC center continues to show his versatility on both ends of the court.

Los Angeles Fan Base Network’s Chrystopher Henderson mentioned that the Clippers have found a defensive identity that has helped them overcome injuries earlier this season:

They held Phoenix to 103 points in regulation time and then held both Denver and Golden State to 104 points in their building. They rank third in the league in defensive rating (103.2) and after their 112-104 win over the Warriors, their head coach Steve Kerr said: “The Clippers’ defense forced the Warriors into a lot of bad passes and the Warriors didn’t come up with them well clear.”

That’s exactly what has been the case for LA this early season. They constantly put pressure on the ball on the perimeter, catching deflections and keeping teams off the field, dominating all three games by outscoring their opponents 172-114.