Clips Drop Game 5

Paul Pierce earned his first start of the 2016 playoffs Wednesday night, but the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers fell at home to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5, 108-98.

L.A. won the first two games of the first round, but now must win two in a row to stay alive after dropping the last three. The Clips are without their top two scorers for the rest of the postseason, as point guard Chris Paul (right hand) and power forward Blake Griffin (left quad) suffered injuries in Game 4.

“Obviously, we know what we’re up against,” Jamal Crawford said. “It’s one thing to miss one for a certain amount of time, but to miss both, it makes the journey that much tougher, obviously. But for us, we just have to continue to lean on each other, continue to lean on (coach Doc Rivers) and his system and just try to put our best foot forward.”

No. 34 was held scoreless through 10 minutes, notching a pair of rebounds and a steal, as six Clippers scored in double digits. J.J. Redick, who has been battling a bruised left heel, led L.A. with 19 points, while Crawford and Jeff Green each finished with 17. DeAndre Jordan posted a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds, Austin Rivers had 13 points and Cole Aldrich tallied 11.

Although the undermanned Clippers put forth a collective effort, they were overpowered by the Blazers. Portland pushed through the paint for 52 points and got out in transition for 24. L.A. only had 36 points in the paint and 14 fast-break points.

The Blazer backcourt continued to play dominate the CP3-less Clips, as C.J. McCollum (27 points) and Damian Lillard (22 points) led their team in scoring. Maurice Harkless added 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Mason Plumlee finished with 10 points and 15 boards.

The Blazers edged the Clippers in shooting percentages across the board and outrebounded them, 53-45. Portland has held an advantage on the glass in all three of its wins during this best-of-seven series.

A slow start saw the teams play to an 18-all draw after 12 minutes, but the pace picked up considerably in the second quarter. The Clippers used eight points from Jordan and a combined 14 from Redick and Green to take a 50-45 lead into the half. But the Blazers chipped their way back against the shorthanded L.A. squad.

“We were exhausted,” Doc Rivers said. “I had to call two timeouts (in the third). That’s not conditioning, that was emotion. They wanted to win. They were just up, and sometimes you get up too much.”

The game’s final tie came within the first30 seconds of the final frame, as Wesley Johnson connected three free throws, making it 74-all. Portland responded with a 16-3 burst, highlighted by Lillard’s sequence of a triple, steal and dunk in transition. Lillard led all scorers with 16 points on 10 shots in the period.

The Blazers extended their lead to as many as 17, 105-88, but the Clips kept battling. They got within eight, 106-98, with 1:02 remaining, thanks to five straight points from Aldrich, but that was the closest they came the rest of the way.