Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Chris Paul left Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers with a rib muscle strain and did not return.
It was not immediately apparent how the injury occurred, but Paul was favoring his ribs and left the game early in the third quarter after posting 10 points, six assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
Paul had at least 17 points and eight assists in each of his previous three games and posted double-doubles in the two games prior to that. Paul’s averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game this year.
After playing all 82 regular season games last year, it’s been a tough injury stretch for Paul. The All-Star point guard strained his hamstring in the playoffs against the Spurs and has dealt with a fractured finger, a strained groin and now a rib issue early this season. The groin injury kept Paul out for three games earlier this year.
Portland point guard Damian Lillard (abdominal pain) also left the game early and did not return.
Final Score: LAC 102 – POR 87
Summary: After all the hacking and both team’s starting point guards forced out, the Clippers left STAPLES Center with their third straight win Monday night.
Next Game: 12/02
Chris Paul had said all season the Clippers (10-8) needed to focus more on their defense than anything else, and they thrived on that end holding the Trail Blazers (7-11) to 38 second-half points in a 102-87 win, though he wasn’t on the floor to watch the finish.
The victory didn’t come without a cost, as Paul left in the third quarter with a rib muscle strain after scoring 10 points and dishing out six assists. Portland point guard Damian Lillard also left the game with abdominal pain and didn’t return.
The rest of the Clippers had to finish the job, which they did with ease in the fourth quarter, though it took a while to see the fruits of their labor.
From the 3:50 mark in the fourth quarter to the 2:18 mark, DeAndre Jordan shot 18 free-throw attempts. The Blazers kept intentionally fouling Jordan, who finished with 18 points and a season-high 24 rebounds to go with his career-high 34 free-throw attempts.
Though the game was slowed by hacking, the Clippers defense stayed on point. The Clippers outscored the Trail Blazers by 15 points in the second half after a back-and-forth first half which saw the Clippers outscore Portland by 11 points in the first quarter and get outscored by 11 points in the second quarter, leading to a tie game at halftime.
The Trail Blazers hit their first shot of the third quarter but only made one other field goal until the 6:18 mark. The Clippers also hit a dry spell on offense midway through the third quarter, but their defense kept them afloat.
Luc Mbah a Moute received his second straight start at small forward and Blake Griffin finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
