After a promising two-game road trip, the Los Angeles Clippers are set to return to their new arena, the Intuit Dome, to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday in Inglewood, California. The Clippers opened their new $2 billion home with a 116-113 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns but rebounded with road victories over the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
Those wins came without star Kawhi Leonard, who remains out indefinitely with ongoing knee issues, and after Paul George’s departure in free agency to the Philadelphia 76ers. With 35-year-old James Harden leading the charge, the Clippers have found new go-to scorers. Harden topped the scoring in the season opener, while Norman Powell dropped 37 points against the Nuggets, and Ivica Zubac contributed 23 points and 18 rebounds against the Warriors.
Zubac has been particularly impressive early this season, averaging 22.7 points per game—nearly double his previous career best of 11.7 set in 2023-24—and leading the NBA with 14.0 rebounds per game ahead of Tuesday’s games.
The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, have lost three of their first four games but have shown growth. After allowing 140 points to the Warriors in their opener, Portland has tightened its defense, conceding just 106.3 points per game in the past three contests. However, shooting remains a challenge. Portland ranks 25th in overall shooting percentage at 42.2% and 27th in three-point shooting percentage at 30.5% before Tuesday’s games.
Following their first victory of the season, a 125-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, the Trail Blazers hit the road for the first time this season and fell 111-98 to the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Deandre Ayton led Portland with 20 points and 11 rebounds, marking his fourth consecutive double-double. Ayton, averaging 14.3 points and 12.3 rebounds, could pose a significant challenge for Zubac on Wednesday. The last Portland player to post a double-double in their first four games of a season was the late Bill Walton, who achieved the feat in his first six games of the 1977-78 campaign.
