A deep 11-game schedule Tuesday night is highlighted by the Los Angeles Clippers visiting the Portland Trail Blazers, a matchup of teams with difficult upcoming schedules.The Clippers have lost five straight at the Rose Garden and are an awful 16-81 all-time in Portland.
To make things worse, LA handed Portland its first loss of the season, a 93-88 setback at the Staples Center on Jan. 1.
Blake Griffin is fifth in the NBA in both scoring (24.7 ppg) and rebounding (10.3). He is getting
help on offense from newcomers Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler.
At the other end of the floor, he could use some help from DeAndre Jordan and newcomer Reggie Evans. The Clippers are the NBA’s worst rebounding team at 35.3 per game. Meanwhile, Portland’s defensive rebounding percentage (.768) leads the league.
The Blazers probably can expect a big game from Gerald Wallace, who is averaging 21 points on 65 percent shooting at home compared to 5.0 points and 16 percent shooting on the road.