The Portland Trail Blazers (3-0) will look to extend their undefeated run in the 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games as they clash with unstable squad Los Angeles Clippers (1-2) on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Staples Center.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
The Clippers looked like a team that is not yet ready for the upcoming regular season as they lost two of their first three games in the ongoing preseason even with the Big Three of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all playing.
It is not the losses that is surprising about the team, but how they lost them. The Clips were demolished by the Golden State Warriors in their preseason-opener on Oct. 4 by 45 points, 120-75 before they won a close 104-98 game versus the Toronto Raptors the following day.
Their last game was a disappointing 96-94 defeat in the hands of a Gordon Hayward-less Utah Jazz squad at their home court of Staples Center on Monday, with Paul, Griffin, and Jordan all playing significant preseason minutes.
It was a clear indication that head coach Doc Rivers' team is not at their top form at the moment and so a lot of trade rumors have been emerging of a possible breakup of the Big Three in midseason.
Meanwhile, The Blazers are unbeaten in their first three preseason games so far and the team would definitely want to continue it in this second game at the Staples Center in two nights.
Portland is coming off a 109-106 overtime victory over the Clippers' co-tenants, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Tuesday with main man Damian Lillard scoring 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including a 6-for-9 stint at the three-point line.
The two clubs fielded in both of their best starting five, which resulted in a highly-entertaining match for the fans.
Starting center Mason Plumlee contributed a huge double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes. Star shooting guard CJ McCollum struggled in the game, scoring five points as he was miserable on the field shooting only 2-for-13.
Prediction
It is unlikely that Blazers head coach Terry Stotts will play his starters for two games in three nights especially in the preseason. If Portland's bench takes over starting duties in this match, then the Clippers will have a chance to even their record with a win in front of their home crowd.
