Video: Chris Paul freaks out at DeAndre Jordan in Clippers' OT loss
Chris Paul was hopping mad as the Clippers gave away a 10-point lead in the final three minutes before losing to the Blazers 98-93 in overtime on Wednesday.
"Gut punch" is the only phrase to describe this defeat for the Clippers, who conceded an 8-2 run in the final 1:06 of regulation and lost the extra period by an 11-6 tally.
Paul's frustration hit its peak in the closing seconds of regulation. With 2.8 seconds remaining and the game tied at 87, Paul tossed up a potential game-winning runner that banked off the glass and rimmed out. The rebound then fell to DeAndre Jordan, who grabbed the ball but held it in his hand instead of attempting a putback, seemingly because he believed that time had expired.
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Although the shot clock had run out, there did appear to be some amount of time remaining in the game when Jordan collected the rebound. However, the situation was complicated by the fact that the game clock got stuck at 0.7 seconds. The final buzzer never sounded and the officials were eventually forced to wave off the action, signaling the end of regulation.
Throughout the confusing scene, Paul jumped up and down, frantically urging an open Jordan to attempt the potential game-winning putback, to no avail. Even Clippers color commentator Michael Smith couldn't help but yell, "D.J., shoot the ball!"
[daily_cut.NBA] Ultimately, the game proceeded to overtime, where Nicolas Batum sank a dagger three-pointer to give Portland a five-point lead with 21 seconds left. The Blazers' victory snapped a three-game winning streak for the Clippers, who are without All-Star forward Blake Griffindue to an elbow injury.
Paul finished with a game-high 36 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. J.J. Redick added 26 points and four rebounds in the loss.
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with a team-high 29 points and nine rebounds. Batum added 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Portland improved to 40-19. Los Angeles fell to 40-22.
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