The Los Angeles Clippers opened their season with a 114-106 win over Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, wasting no time getting back into the trenches with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs.
Blake Griffin and Chris Paul each scored 27 points in the Clippers’ regular-season debut at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Tempers flared often in an emotional and physical battle that included a number of hard fouls. Portland were whistled for 34 fouls and the Clippers attempted 46 free throws.
Photo: AP
The game came just 24 weeks after the Trail Blazers eliminated the Clippers in Game 6 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
“You can let somebody come in and punk you, or you can do something about it. We stood up to it,” Blazers Damian Lillard said.
Portland coach Terry Stotts said: “That type of familiarity brings out a rivalry.”
Griffin, who also grabbed 13 rebounds, was a favorite target of the Trail Blazers’ aggression.
“Enough is enough,” said Paul, who finished with five rebounds and five assists. “You got to treat every game like it is a rivalry.”
The Clippers are on the short list of contenders to make it to the NBA finals this season.
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