Clippers beat Trail Blazers 102-87 to win their third straight game

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers recently said his team needs to perform better in third quarters.

In Monday’s game against Portland, the Clippers outscored the Trail Blazers 25-15 coming out of halftime to take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter and eventually win, 102-87.

The Clippers have won three games in a row, their longest win streak since opening the season 4-0. They are now 3-1 on their six-game homestand.

The Clippers led by as much as 15 points in the first quarter, but the Trail Blazers tied the score, 54-54, at halftime. The Clippers then outshot the Trail Blazers in the third quarter, 40.9% to 27.8%, to take a double-digit pad into crunch time. In the fourth quarter, they pushed that lead to as much as 17 points, their biggest advantage of the game.

The Trail Blazers had 21 turnovers, while the Clippers had 12. The Clippers won the battle of the boards tonight for the first time this season, outrebounding the Trail Blazers, 55-54.

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. DeAndre Jordan had a game-high 24 rebounds -- three short of his career high -- to go along with 18 points. Jordan was sent to the free-throw line a career-high 34 times, but he made only 12 of those shots.

Chris Paul sustained a rib-muscle strain in the third quarter and didn’t return. He had 10 points on three-for-11 shooting and six assists in 24 minutes.

The Trail Blazers were led by Maurice Harkless, who had 15 points off the bench. Ed Davis had 13 points and 10 rebounds. CJ McCollum had 12 points and 10 assists. Mason Plumlee had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Portland’s Damian Lillard only played 17 minutes because of abdominal pain. He had seven points on three-for-eight shooting.

The Clippers have two home games left against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Saturday before leaving for a five-game trip.