Norman Powell and James Harden power Clippers to victory over Portland
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PORTLAND, Ore. — Norman Powell scored 23 points, James Harden had 19 points, and the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-89 on Thursday night.
The Clippers (23-17) routed Portland (13-27) a night after beating Brooklyn at home by a franchise-record 59 points.
Dalano Banton led the Trail Blazers with 23 points. Scoot Henderson had 16 points.
Kobe Brown‘s dunk in the fourth pushed the Clippers to their biggest lead at 34.
About to start the most grueling stretch of the season, the Clippers beat the Brooklyn Nets by 59 points.
Powell formed a special relationship with Blazers coach Chauncey Billups during Billups’ first season as Portland’s coach. With Powell averaging a career-high 23.7 points, Billups is loving what he’s seen from his former protege.
“[I’m] really proud,” Billups said. “I didn’t get to coach him for that long, but we got very, very close in that short time. And he always shared with me that this is the player he could be.”
Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe entered the game having scored 20 points in five straight games. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue came into the game aware of what Sharpe can do. “We’ve got to make it work. You know, he can do it all,” Lue said of Portland’s young guard. Sharpe finished with 12 points.
Ivica Zubac had two blocks on the same possession in the first half. The first block came on a dunk attempt by Scoot Henderson and the second came only seconds later when Deandre Ayton picked up the loose ball and tried a dunk of his own.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons went 0 for 9 from the field and failed to score.
The Clippers host the Lakers on Sunday night at Intuit Dome. The Trail Blazers host Houston on Saturday night.
Ballmer to donate $15 million to wildfire relief
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, are donating an initial $15 million in emergency funding for people affected by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires.
The Ballmer Group announced the donation on its website, saying it will go toward addressing immediate food and shelter needs in the community and supporting first responders.
“We love L.A. and are committed to supporting the communities affected by the devastating wildfires,” the couple said, adding the donation would help “particularly in the historic, racially diverse community of Altadena.”
The Ballmer Group also is behind FireAid, a concert to be held Jan. 30 at Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum, which is also owned by Ballmer.
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