Last Updated on January 8, 2023 by CCAR Staff
PORTLAND >> Crashing the boards was one thing the Clippers knew they had to do well in their first-round playoff series with Portland because the Trail Blazers were one of the league’s better rebounding teams during the regular season. The Clippers were not.
The Clippers outrebounded the Trail Blazers 48-40 in Game 1 and were even with them (52-52) in Game 2 and won both games. Portland turned the tables and outrebounded the Clippers 56-44 in Game 3 on Saturday at Moda Center and came away with a 96-88 victory to pull within 2-1 of the Clippers in the best-of-seven series.
Perhaps most galling was that Portland center Mason Plumlee pulled down 21 rebounds. He averaged only 7.7 during the season and had just 15 combined in Games 1 and 2. After emerging from a lengthy film session Sunday at the team hotel, Clippers power forward Blake Griffin talked about what his team needs to do better in Game 4 on Monday night at 7:30 back at Moda Center.
“Just account for him,” Griffin said of Plumlee. “I thought in the first game, especially, you’d see a lot of times when they shoot the ball, one, if not two guys, (were) on him at all times driving him out, everybody coming back, everybody rebounding.
“I just thought we did a good job team-wise when we were successful. And last night it was kind of one-on-one or one-on-none a lot of times, which (with) a guy on a team that rebounds as well as they do, that can’t happen.”
Center DeAndre Jordan led the Clippers with 16 rebounds. Griffin had seven, but none on the offensive boards.
The Clippers’ Chris Paul is a good rebounding guard and is averaging 5.0 in the playoffs. He knows what the team needs to do in Game 4.
“We’ve got to hit first,” Paul said. “We’ve got to box out. They got a lot of big guys in there, a lot of guys like (backup center) Ed Davis, who are just committed to rebounding. They’re not great shooters and stuff, but they do their jobs for their team.”
Coach Doc Rivers intimated it was a desire thing on Plumlee’s part.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re trapping, we’re doing a lot of things,” he said. “We just have to get to the right spots, get there quicker, play with as much force as he did.”
Portland averaged 45.5 rebounds during the regular season – fifth best in the NBA – and allowed opponents an average of 43.7 for a plus-differential of 1.8. The Clippers averaged 42 rebounds – 25th in the league – but gave up 46.7, a negative 4.7.
Redick’s woes
About 30 minutes following Saturday’s loss, Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick was asked how his left heel is feeling.
“It’s fine,” he said.
His numbers from Saturday suggest otherwise. He shot just 2 of 10 in the defeat, scoring only five points. That might mean his heel – bruised on April 12 against Memphis – is getting worse because Redick scored a total of 34 points on a combined 15 of 27 shooting (55.5 percent) the first two games.
Rivers said he isn’t sure Redick’s heel affected his shooting.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t say that. I thought he missed some good shots. He had two wonderful shots late in the game and both of them went in and out. That’s make-miss. I thought he forced some too early, probably trying to get himself going.”
Rivers said Redick not being able to practice much of late because of the heel could be a reason for his off night.
