Trail Blazers vs Clippers: Game 5 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

If there was any doubt how important Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are to the Los Angeles Clippers during crunch time, it was eliminated after Wednesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Portland won Game 5 of its first-round playoff series on the road, 108-98, behind a strong second half. The Clippers didn’t have Paul on the floor to direct the offense or stop Damian Lillard down the stretch and were outscored 63-48 in the second half.

The Trail Blazers are now ahead 3-2 and one victory away from a second-round showdown with the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

Lillard had a quiet first half, but he finished the game with 22 points, five assists and three steals. His backcourt mate, C.J. McCollum, poured in 27 points, while Mason Plumlee added a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. The two guards connected on seven three-pointers and carried the offense in the second half:

On to Game 6!Blazers defeat the Clippers, 108-98, in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead #NBAPlayoffshttps://t.co/4ylUi7rhTp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2016

As for the Clippers, it was a balanced effort without their two stars. Six different players scored in double figures, but it was DeAndre Jordan who turned in the most impressive effort with 16 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Even with Jordan’s formidable night, Portland controlled the early going and jumped out to a 14-7 lead. That was not particularly surprising considering the inexperience the starting Clippers were working with, via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:

Clippers list Rivers, Redick, Crawford, Pierce & Jordan as Game 5 starters. That group played 4 minutes together during 2015-16 season.

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 28, 2016

The Clippers bounced back to tie the game at 18 by the end of the first quarter, thanks to some of the energy Cole Aldrich brought off the bench. He found Austin Rivers in transition for the game-tying basket, via NBA TV:

Aldrich = steal, Rivers = Slam #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/mXQhkRem9q

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 28, 2016

Despite the spurt for the home team, Casey Holdahl was not impressed with the low-scoring quarter and said, “First quarters in this series have been so bad that both teams should just agree to play bourre for the first 12 minutes.”

The Trail Blazers started the second quarter on a 10-4 run to seize a 28-22 lead, but the Clippers battled right back to take a 35-32 advantage after a Jeff Green dunk. Holdahl pointed to one of the biggest problems for Portland in the first half:

An 0-2 line for Ed Davis and the Blazers are now 5-12 from the free throw line, which is a great way to blow your advantage

— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 28, …

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