Blazers take Game 4, even series against suddenly hurting Clippers

When news of Stephen Curry's knee injury broke on Monday afternoon, many analysts tabbed the Los Angeles Clippers as new favorites to move on to the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the team finished the day with major questions about their ability to get out of the first round.

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The Portland Trail Blazers won Game 4 of their first-round series against the Clippers 98-84 in a quality performance at Moda Center, but the bad news for the visitors went way beyond a freshly tied series at 2-2. All-NBA point guard Chris Paul left the game in the third quarter with a fractured right hand that threatens to keep him out for the foreseeable future, and forward Blake Griffin joined him on the sidelines minutes later with a re-aggravation of the left quadriceps injury that began his 41-game absence this regular season.

Severities and recovery timetables are not yet known, but head coach Doc Rivers seems like someone who is prepared to move forward without both players for Wednesday's Game 5 at Staples Center:

Meanwhile, the Blazers have bounced back from two series-opening losses in Los Angeles to create the tight series many of us expected to see when the matchup was set nearly two weeks ago. The improvement of backcourt stars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum was the big story of the Game 3 victory, but Monday saw the Blazers thrive even as both players were far from their best. Lillard had only 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting, while McCollum was a bit better with 19 points on 6-of-13 from the field.

The most notable contributions in Game 4 came from the team's role players, many of whom joined the Blazers last offseason in a series of moves that now looks like one of the most effective rebuilding-reloading efforts in recent NBA history. There were many players worth noting, including Allen Crabbe (12 points on 5-of-5 FG in 27 minutes off the bench), Moe Harkless (12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals), and Ed Davis (12 rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes). But center Mason Plumlee and wing Al-Farouq Aminu clearly stood above the others. Plumlee followed up a tremendous 21-rebound, nine-assist performance on Saturday with 12 boards and 10 assists in Game 4, helping to foil the Clippers' traps on Lillard while at least playing DeAndre Jordan even in one of the games key matchups.

Aminu's night is more commonly associated with stars — he had a game-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting (including 6-of-10 from deep) with 10 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks:

The Clippers got nothing similar from any one player, although Paul may have done so if he hadn't been forced out in the middle of the third quarter with his hand injury. CP3 scored L.A.'s first 12 points over nearly 10 minutes to keep his team within striking distance early and continued to keep the offense afloat as other perimeter players like J.J. Redick (3-of-13 FG), Jamal Crawford (4-of-15 FG), and Austin Rivers (1-of-7 FG) struggled. Paul finished with 16 points in his 25 minutes, and it looked as if he would carry the team in the second half before his injury.

The Clippers did relatively well in the immediate aftermath of Paul's injury, out-scoring the Blazers 12-8 over the last six minutes of the third for a narrow 68-66 deficit entering the fourth. Yet it was very difficult to remain positive about their chances for this win, because Paul had clearly been the best player in this series up until he left for the locker room. Most considerations of his value focus on his peerless control of tempo and offensive flow, but he had been just important to this matchup for his stifling defense on Lillard. The Clippers were left without their tone-setter at both ends and suffered for it as the hosts took the fourth quarter 32-20.

Griffin's quadriceps re-aggravation added further trouble for the No. 4 seed, although that challenge may be more conceptual than tangible at this point in the season. Griffin has not played at a superstar level since returning to the court in early April and struggled again in Game 4, shooting 6-of-15 from the field for 17 points. The Clippers were able to rely on Griffin's playmaking when Paul had to miss the first two games against the Houston Rockets in the conference semifinals last season, but they likely would have had to plan otherwise or hope for a speedy return to form. If Griffin misses time, another variable is removed from their calculations.

Monday's injury news shows us that a team's fortunes can change in a matter of minutes, but for now it looks like the Blazers have the momentum in this series. Game 5 is always pivotal in a 2-2 series, but Wednesday's matchup in Los Angeles looks especially important to deciding which team moves on to the next round. The Clippers will need several players to step up in big ways, and the Blazers will have to trust that their role players' excellent form will travel well.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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