Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 3rd 2024


Preview and Prediction
The Clippers of Los Angeles will defend their eight-game winning streak at home as they take on the travel-weary Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in the final match of the NBA Cup group stage in Inglewood, California.
Neither team heads into the game with the threat of elimination from the knockout round of the tournament, but a loss would mean the end of their journey. The victor would still require assistance in various scenarios to advance as a wild-card team.
At the beginning of the season, the Clippers lost their first four home games at their newly built $2 billion arena. However, after finally breaking through on November 4th, they have not suffered a defeat since.
Their most recent triumph at home came on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, with James Harden leading the way with 39 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds.
Harden became only the second player in NBA history to make 3,000 baskets from beyond the arc. He achieved this milestone by going 6 of 15 from long distance.
"We never take any of these accomplishments for granted," Harden stated. "The amount of hard work I put in, countless days and nights, is not seen by many. But the results speak for themselves. I am just grateful."
Over his last four games, Harden has been shooting at a 44.7% success rate, an improvement from his 38.5% mark for the season.
"Harden hasn't been shooting the ball as well as he usually does, but he's getting there," commented Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.
The Clippers' victory also marked the return of Norman Powell after a six-game absence due to a hamstring strain. The shooting guard scored 28 points, bringing his team-leading average to 23.6 per game.
Ivica Zubac is the top rebounder for the Clippers, averaging 12.4 rebounds per game. He grabbed eight rebounds against the Nuggets.
The Trail Blazers are coming off a 137-131 defeat at home against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Anfernee Simons scored 27 points for Portland, while Shaedon Sharpe added 22. Simons was 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Portland's defense struggled to contain Dallas, allowing them to score at least 36 points in each of the last three quarters. The Blazers managed to shoot an impressive 58.1% from 3-point range (18 of 31), but their 21 turnovers were converted into 33 points by the Mavericks.
In the first half, Simons only scored three points, but he exploded in the third quarter with 24 points, shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
"We started off a bit sloppy with a few defensive coverages that we weren't fully focused on," Simons said, according to the Oregonian. "But we were still in the game at halftime, and we fought through everything, giving us a chance to win. That's all we can ask for."
Portland's struggles on the road have persisted for almost a month. They lost four out of five games on a road trip that ended the day before Thanksgiving and have only won one out of their last seven games away from home since November 7th.
Sharpe leads Portland with an average of 18.0 points per game, while Simons is close behind with 17.3 points per game. Deandre Ayton is the top rebounder for the Blazers, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.


Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Recap DEC 3TH 2024
Norman Powell scored 30 points and James Harden added 23 to go along with seven assists as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their home winning streak to nine games with a 127-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at Inglewood, Calif.
Amir Coffey scored 19 points, Derrick Jones Jr. added 15 and Ivica Zubac had 10 rebounds as the Clippers avenged one of their four consecutive home losses immediately after their new $2 billion arena opened.
Powell has averaged 29.0 points in two games since returning from a hamstring injury, and he has scored at least 30 in a game five times this season.
Deandre Ayton scored 16 points while Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija each added 15 for the Trail Blazers, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games overall and fell for the seventh time in their past eight road games. Dalano Banton scored 14 points, and Jerami Grant added 12 for Portland.
In the final NBA Cup group-play game for both teams, the Blazers were eliminated from the knockout round with the defeat, while the Clippers were bounced through tiebreaker scenarios.
Los Angeles looked as if it would run away early by taking a double-digit lead before the midway point of the first quarter and leading by as many as 12 in the opening period. But Portland rallied to take the lead just over two minutes into the second quarter.
The Clippers led 63-58 at halftime, with the game tight into the third quarter until the hosts went on an 11-0 run to take an 83-70 lead. Los Angeles went into the final period with a 91-78 advantage after Harden scored 12 points in the third quarter.
The Clippers' Jordan Miller scored five points during an 8-0 burst to open the final period as Los Angeles pushed its advantage to 99-78 with 10:03 remaining and cruised to the victory from there. Miller finished with 14 points.
The Clippers were without Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) and lost Terance Mann (finger) in the third quarter. The Trail Blazers were without Scoot Henderson (quad), Donovan Clingan (knee) and Robert Williams III (concussion protocol).