NBA Playoffs
Western Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Wednesday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -8.5, Total: 209.0

The Clippers will be hoping to head into Portland with a 2-0 series lead by defeating the Blazers in Game 2 on Wednesday.

A lot of people felt that the Blazers had a chance of stealing this series from the Clippers, but they’ll need to find a way to win on the road. Portland did not, however, look ready to do that in Game 1. The Blazers did not come to play on either end of the floor, shooting just 39.8% from the field and allowing the Clippers to shoot 53.8%. Portland was also outrebounded 57-50 on the game and will need to show more effort overall on Wednesday. The Blazers should be able to respond, though. They were 7-0 ATS after a blowout loss by 20 points or more this season and they’re facing a Clippers team that is just 7-17 ATS after scoring 100 points or more in three straight games on the year. Los Angeles is, however, an impressive 8-1 ATS in home games after having won six or seven of its past eight games this season. The only player listed on the injury report in this game is C Meyers Leonard (Shoulder), who is out for the season for the Blazers.

The Blazers did not look good in Game 1 and are going to need a more complete effort on Wednesday. PG Damian Lillard (25.1 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.0 RPG in regular season) was the only guy that really showed up for Portland. Lillard had 21 points, eight assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action on Sunday. He’ll still likely need to score even more on Wednesday if his team is going to win. Lillard will also need to do a better job of playing pick-and-roll defense. The Clippers picked the Blazers apart with that play and Portland can’t afford to let that happen again. The only way to prevent it is for Lillard to play better defense on Chris Paul. SG C.J. McCollum (20.8 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.2 SPG in regular season) is a guy that must step it up for Portland. McCollum was a fantastic scorer this season, but he had just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting in Game 1. He just could not buy a bucket and the Blazers need him to knock down some jumpers on Wednesday. It’s also important that SF Al-Farouq Aminu (10.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG in regular season) plays well for the Blazers. Aminu is playing as a small-ball power forward in this series and his matchup with Blake Griffin is huge. Although Aminu had 10 points in Game 1, he was awful from the field. He shot just 3-for-12 from the floor and needs to be more efficient on Wednesday.

The Clippers cruised to a Game 1 victory and that’s because PG Chris Paul (19.5 PPG, 10.0 APG, 4.2 RPG, 2.1 SPG in regular season) played a fantastic game for Los Angeles. Paul finished the contest with 28 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of action. He could not be stopped off the bounce and he’ll need to continue to be aggressive moving forward. Paul also ran the offensive to perfection, though. He found PF Blake Griffin (21.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.9 APG in regular season) and C DeAndre Jordan (12.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 2.3 BPG in regular season) whenever they were able to get any space at all. He’ll certainly look inside often moving forward. For Griffin, it was encouraging for the Clippers to see him playing well. He had struggled when he returned from a broken hand, but he did not look rusty on Sunday. Griffin is far stronger than Aminu, so it’d be wise for him to get in the post more often in this series. Jordan, meanwhile, finished everything around the basket and he swatted everything near it on the other end. He was on his game defensively and the Clippers need him to continue to be throughout the postseason.