----- The LA Clippers use a 38-16 third quarter to send the Blazers to their third-consecutive loss 104-100 Sunday night at Moda Center.
The best news of the night for Portland came before the game with the return of play-by-play voice, Brian Wheeler. Wheeler missed the first 19 games of the season while dealing with health issues. Unfortunately for the Blazers, they couldn't match Wheels energy behind the mic.
Portland connected on just 43.3% of their shots on the night including an abysmal 8-for-38 from three-point range. As a result, the Blazers wilted in the second half as the LA Clippers dealt the Blazers their third-straight loss 104-100 Sunday night at Moda Center.
The Blazers roared to a 58-45 halftime lead thanks to a 30-21 edge in the second quarter that was powered by the bench. The second unit poured in 18 points in the period with Evan Turner scoring six of his 17 points in the quarter and Seth Curry and Nik Stuaskas combined for nine.
The Third quarter was a different story. The Clippers went on a tear outscoring the Blazers 38-16 turning a 13-point halftime deficit into a nine-point lead entering the fourth at 83-74. Tobias Harris scored 15 of his game-high 34 points in the period while the Blazers connected on just 26.1% of their shots including just 1-for-10 from three-point range.
The Blazers were able to tie the game at 100-100 with 1:53 to play on seven-straight points from Damian Lillard including a four-point play, but the Clippers closed out the game scoring the final four points.
Portland (12-8) got a team-high 30 points from Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum added 18 points. With the loss, the Blazers are now 2-5 in their last seven games.
Jusuf Nurkic suffered a right shoulder contusion in the first half against the Clippers. He did not play in the second half. Nurkic did not speak with reporters following the game, so there was no update on his status for Wednesday's game against Orlando.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will host the Orlando Magic Wednesday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- The third quarter was an unmitigated disaster.