Clippers 126, Blazers 122: Huge late comeback

PORTLAND -- This was not a game the Los Angeles Clippers wanted to play.
After losing to the Golden State Warriors at home on Tuesday night, the last thing the Clippers wanted to do was board a flight to Portland to play the Trail Blazers. They had just gotten home from a three-game road trip back East on Monday and looked like a road-weary bunch Wednesday night, falling behind by 19 early.
But before waving the white flag and resting their starters, the Clippers amazingly, surprisingly mounted a comeback. The turning point came when Chris Kaman shoved Chris Paul out of bounds after Paul grabbed a rebound in front of him, resulting in a flagrant foul with 25 seconds left in the third quarter. Though still down nine after the two made free throws, the Clippers never looked back. They grabbed their first lead of the game with under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter and completed their largest comeback of the season with a 126-122 win.
It was one of the more impressive wins for the Clippers this season, and it came after the team landed in Portland at around 2:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday and checked into their hotels a little after 3 a.m. But the tired group seemed to get a second wind in the second half and it may ultimately result in home-court advantage in a potential first-round playoff series with Portland.
One night after being the subject of hundreds of memes for getting crossed over by Stephen Curry on Tuesday, Paul responded with his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 41 points to go with 17 assists. He also hit five of nine 3-pointers. Paul’s previous season high was 36 points against Portland last month, which bodes well for the Clippers if they do end up playing Portland in the postseason.