PORTLAND, Ore. – The Clippers' backups provided the spark early and the starters shut it down late, as the Clippers separated away from a tie game after three quarters in a chippy opening night win.
Here are five quick takeaways from the Clippers' (1-0) 114-106 win against the Trail Blazers (1-1):
1) Backups strong – Head coach Doc Rivers said there will be some games he staggers more than others. On Thursday, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan stayed on the court when the reserves started entering in the first, but by the end of the first quarter it was an all-bench unit, and it was during that time late in the first and early in the second that the Clippers gained control of a game that starter in Portland's favor.
The reserves went on a 16-0 run to get the Clippers out to a double-digit lead, with newcomer Marreese Speights and Jamal Crawford leading the way. Speights and Crawford each finished with 15 points, Austin Rivers got hot at the end of the third and played late with the starters after the Blazers began hacking DeAndre Jordan late, and four of the five backups who entered the game finished plus-17 or better on the night.
2) Blake everywhere – It didn't take long for Griffin to show how much the Clippers missed with him out the last time these teams met in Portland. From an early put-back dunk, to his aggressiveness around the rim, to a chase-down block, to some of his new gadgets, knocking down a 3-pointer, Griffin seemed to be everywhere, particularly early on. He finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul provided the daggers late, also scoring 27 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.
3) Small forward – Head coach Doc Rivers made it a mystery until the teams took the court, but the starter in the opener at small forward was Luc Mbah a Moute, who started the majority of the games at the position last year for the Clippers. He stuck to Damian Lillard but only played 16 minutes. To finish the game, Rivers went with Jamal Crawford as he would do often last year, and the starters looked as good as they did all game early in the fourth.
4) Getting feisty – Rivers said before the game there were some memories of the last time the Clippers were in Portland when he stepped into the arena. It seemed that way for both teams all game. If there was any doubt after last year's playoff series, Thursday night made clear that it's starting to feel like a real rivalry between two teams who don't seem to care much for each other.
Chirping turned to shoving, and that turned to hard fouls and shoves. Mason Plumlee and DeAndre Jordan were in the middle of much of it, getting offsetting technicals, and Plumlee and C.J. McCollum were also called for flagrant fouls. It was the type of game one might expect after a postseason matchup, and this is just the beginning.
5) Starters Pull Away – Despite Griffin putting in work both inside and out, a 58-49 lead at halftime turned into a tie game after three quarters, as Portland's starters got going offensively against the Clippers' starters out of the break, as the Blazers shot 63.6 percent and scored 33 points in the third quarter. It was a streaky night for the starters, but they got hot at the right time, turning a tie game after three quarters into a 15-point lead with fewer than three minutes left, largely with their defense.
Portland came fighting back to cut the Clippers' lead down to five with fewer than 30 seconds remaining, but the Clippers had separated themselves too far by that point, getting plenty of help from their defense and clutch shots from deep by Paul and J.J. Redick.
NOTES: Paul Pierce missed the game with an ankle injury and Brandon Bass and Diamond Stone did not play… The Clippers get two days off before playing their home opener Sunday afternoon against the Jazz …
