With Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill all on the bench watching, third-year guard Eric Bledsoe got plenty of time in the spotlight Saturday, and boy, did he make the most of it.
Showcasing the all-around skills that have earned him the “mini-LeBron” nickname from his teammates, Bledsoe scored a game-high 25 points in the Clippers’ 106-104 loss to Denver in Las Vegas.
Bledsoe delivered with an exceptional reverse layup with 3 seconds remaining to tie the game, but Denver guard Ty Lawson made a driving lay-in to beat the buzzer and win the game from the Nuggets at Mandalay Bay.
Bledsoe finished with 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in 34 minutes in the team’s preseason opener.
Some other observations:
- Blake Griffin struggled to get into any kind of offensive rhythm and looked uncomfortable with his new free-throw form. He also struggled on the defensive end when matched up one-on-one with Kenneth Faried in the post. Griffin scored only 6 points with 7 rebounds.
- DeAndre Jordan showed off his improved post game, scoring on a nice up-and-under move and a jump hook. Jordan was also active around the basket, getting a lot of easy dunks after Clippers’ guards got into the paint. Jordan finished with 14 points and 3 blocks.
- Willie Green got the start at shooting guard and struggled to make a strong case to stay there. Both Bledsoe and Matt Barnes looked more effective Saturday.
- Jamal Crawford caught fire in the second and fourth quarters, scoring 19 points and dishing out 5 assists.
- The Clippers struggled defending the three-point shot and making the three-point shot. The Nuggets hit 8-of-17 from three (47.1 percent), while the Clippers were just 4-of-15.
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