Portland may have finally put an end to questions with a 122-108 win over LA Clippers today. The team has had its ups and downs recently, with some off-the-field incidents involving key players ruining the team's focus. Smith was at the center of the controversy, after being arrested for weapon violations just three days ago. His legal problems were sorted out quickly, but the attention drawn to the incident received more news than today's game against LA Clippers. Smith let his play do the talking today, helping his team put the unfortunate incident behind him with a solid game. "Definitely nice to be asked about a game MVP performance than about an arrest," he said later on.

Portland was led by Smith (21 points, 11 assists, 2 steals), Mcneil (23 points, 0 assists, 2 steals), Vanderveer (19 points, 5 boards, 2 assists). LA Clippers was led by Brown (30 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks), Hayes (7 points, a steal, a block), Reese (10 points, 0 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks).

Portland improve to 16-15. They stay at #3 in the Northwest and hold at #8 overall in the Western Conference. LA Clippers drop to 19-11 and 10-4 at home. They stay at #2 in the Pacific and stay at #5 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Portland roster LA Clippers roster