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KEY POINTS
- The Clippers are heavy favorites to pull off another win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday
- The Trail Blazers are likely to play without their top stars against the Clippers
- The Clippers are aware they need to win their remaining games to avoid the play-in tournament
The Los Angeles Clippers need to make sure they win their last two remaining games if they want to retain their hold on the fifth spot of the Western Conference standings.
With only two games remaining, the Clippers will be out to add to the woes of the Portland Trail Blazers when the two teams collide Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena.
The Clips are -16.5 favorites to prevail over the already-eliminated Trail Blazers, USA Today reported, citing odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook. The moneyline for this encounter is -1,895 for Los Angeles and +1,000 for Portland.
The Clippers are coming off a 125-118 win over their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Norman Powell came off the bench Wednesday night to lead the Clippers with 27 points and four assists. Kawhi Leonard added 25 markers along with seven rebounds.
“We came out with energy early,” Leonard said, according to a report by ESPN. “We kept our foot on the pedal.”
The win allowed the Clippers to tie the Golden State Warriors with similar 42-38 win-loss records in the Western Conference. Winning their last two games will help them avoid possibly falling into the play-in tournament.
“I’m not a fan of the play-in tournament,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue stated. “We’re still not out of the clear yet.”
As for the Blazers, they have lost two games in a row. Their last loss came Thursday at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, 129-127.
Kevin Knox II came off the bench to lead the Trail Blazers with 24 points and three rebounds. Drew Eubanks chipped in 23 points, nine boards and five blocks in the losing effort.
The Blazers played without Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons due to injuries. With nothing left but pride for Portland, they are all likely to watch the game from the sidelines.
Portland is headed into an interesting offseason with changes likely to take place. That includes the status of Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
Despite backing from management, the 46-year-old coach’s job may be on the line after two forgettable NBA seasons.
The Clippers host the Trail Blazers Saturday, with tip-off set at 4 p.m. EDT. The matchup will be shown over BSSC and Root Sports NW, with live streaming available via NBA League Pass.
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