Imagine a basketball game where two players single-handedly shift the momentum, turning a tight contest into a dominant performance. That’s exactly what happened when James Harden and Brook Lopez took the court for the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden’s 34-point masterpiece and Lopez’s career-high nine 3-pointers (part of his 31-point night) propelled the Clippers to a 119-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, securing their third consecutive win. But here’s where it gets even more impressive: Kawhi Leonard added 28 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, with a staggering 18 points in the fourth quarter alone. And this is the part most people miss—the Clippers’ second-half surge, outscoring the Blazers 63-41, including a game-changing 19-1 run in the third quarter.
For the Blazers, Deni Avdija stood out with 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Clippers’ momentum. The turning point? After Donovan Clingan’s free throw gave Portland a 71-59 lead late in the third, the Clippers unleashed a barrage of scoring, capped by Lopez’s record-breaking 3-pointers and Harden’s clutch plays. Controversially, some might argue that the Blazers’ coaching decisions, like Tiago Splitter’s technical foul, handed the Clippers the edge—what do you think?
The game wasn’t without its drama. After Portland’s 9-0 run in the first half, led by Shaedon Sharpe’s fast-break dunk, the Clippers responded with a Harden-led rally to close the gap. By halftime, the Blazers’ lead was trimmed to just six points. In the end, the Clippers’ six-point possession late in the fourth quarter sealed the deal, pushing their lead to 101-88.
Looking ahead, the Clippers host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, while the Blazers face the Boston Celtics. But the real question remains: Can the Clippers sustain this momentum, or will their reliance on star power eventually catch up with them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
