Trail Blazers vs Clippers: Game 2 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled away late to earn a 102-81 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night inside Staples Center in Los Angeles. With the win, the Clippers take a 2-0 lead in the first round of the 2016 NBA playoffs.

Pro Basketball Talk’s Kurt Helin pointed to one of Portland’s biggest problems in Game 2:

After Gm 1, Stotts said as Clips pressured Lillard/CJ others had to hit shots. Rest of team shooting 31.8% overall tonight, 3-12 from three.

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) April 21, 2016

Damian Lillard shot just 6-of-22 from the floor, while C.J. McCollum went 6-of-17. Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver noted how Lillard’s struggles go back two years:

Since hitting series-clinching three to beat Rockets in 2014, Blazers’ Damian Lillard is 12-for-68 (17.6%) on threes in 12 playoff games.

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 21, 2016

For the Blazers to have any shot of winning Wednesday, they needed their supporting cast to step up, and that didn’t happen. As a team, they shot 34.1 percent, including 19.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Clippers bench also outscored the Portland bench 43-10, supplementing their top three stars.

DeAndre Jordan only scored three points but grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked three shots. Blake Griffin was one rebound short of a double-double, finishing with 12 points and nine boards. Chris Paul, meanwhile, led all scorers with 25 points, adding six rebounds and five assists.

The Clippers looked to be on the way to a blowout after they built upon a 22-17 first quarter to go ahead 15, 34-19 with 8:45 until halftime. Portland began inching back into the game, but a J.J. Redick at the 3:59 mark put L.A. ahead by 10, 43-33.

Then Paul picked up his second and third fouls …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com