Portland wasn't even supposed to be in the playoffs this season. Instead, the Trail Blazers are staring down a chance to even their series with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Clippers vs. Blazers, 2016 NBA playoffs: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum will try to will Portland to a series-evening win against Los Angeles on Monday night.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Blazers, led by the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and NBA Most Improved Player C.J. McCollum, didn't put up much of a fight in the first two games of the series. In fact, they lost both by an average score of 108.5-88. But that all changed when this series shifted up north. Lillard and McCollum ignited for 59 combined points to lead their team to a 96-88 win.
One more win on Monday would effectively hit the reset button on the first round series. First, they'll have to shut down the Clips' All-NBA front court pairing for the third straight game. Portland has held Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to only 38 combined points in their last two appearances. If the less-heralded Trail Blazer big men can play Los Angeles' bruisers to a stalemate, they'll give Lillard and McCollum another chance to carry their team to victory in front of a home crowd.
The Clippers can win even if Griffin doesn’t show up, however. They proved that last Thursday when Chris Paul’s 25-point, five-assist performance helped wipe his power forward’s 4-12 shooting night from the ledger. Paul has averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists so far this postseason. If Portland can’t find a way to slow him down, the Blazers’ appearance in the 2016 postseason could be a brief one.
How to watch Clippers vs. Trail Blazers Game 4
Place: Moda Center
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Streaming: Watch TNT
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