Any hope that the Portland Trail Blazers would carry momentum from their blowout victory against the Phoenix Suns to the road was quickly extinguished Monday night at Staples Center. The Blazers combined poor shooting and lethargic play for a 116-86 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, falling to 1-2 on the young season.
The Clippers jumped out to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, riding an all-around effort from Paul George and dynamic performance from their bench en route to their first victory of the year. Damian Lillard suffered through another rough outing, going 0-8 from three-point land, and the Blazers committed an unsightly 30 turnovers in the defeat.