Sometimes victories come from the most unlikely players at the most needed times.
It could be a rookie getting a rare opportunity or a star who overcomes an injury to lead a team. Or it could be a 37-year-old center who is nearing the end of a championship career but can still find the basket.
Veteran center Brook Lopez, who has spent the first 29 games coming off the bench or out of the rotation completely, made nine 3-point shots on Friday night to help the Clippers (9-21) erase a double-digit deficit in the second half and beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 119-103, for their third consecutive victory.
Lopez finished with a season-high 31 points on 9-of-14 shooting from 3-point range and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. He also had five rebounds and two blocked shots. Lopez is the third player to make nine 3-point shots in a game after turning 37, joining Steph Curry and LeBron James.
“He was their X factor tonight for sure,” Portland star forward Deni Advija said. “Give him the props.”
Lopez has started the past two games in place of injured starting center Ivica Zubac, who is expected to be out for three weeks because of an ankle injury he suffered in last weekend’s victory over the Lakers. Zubac went down less than 11 minutes into the game and Lopez scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting off the bench.
He started the next two games – both victories, including Friday’s come-from-behind contest against Portland at the Moda Center. Lopez will start again when the Clippers return home for the first of five straight home games on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons (24-7) at the Intuit Dome.
Following Zubac’s injury, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Lopez makes an impact with his 7-foot-1 size and ability to not only post up and protect the rim but space the floor with his outside shooting.
“He can post smaller guys and when he’s on the perimeter, he can make shots,” Lue said. “If we get the right matchups, we can take advantage of that.”
Much has been made of the age of the Clippers’ roster, which at an average of 33.2 years is the oldest in the league. But all those years also can add up to something positive at times.
Against the Blazers, Kawhi Leonard, 34, led a fourth-quarter takeover and finished with 28 points and made all 12 free-throw attempts. He also had eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
James Harden, 36, made 10 of 17 shots for a game-high 34 points and six assists and Lopez delivered his career shooting night.
“They just took over the game,” acting Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said of Lopez, Leonard and Harden.
The trio face a tougher task against the Pistons, who are first in the Eastern Conference and 11-5 away from home. Point guard Cade Cunningham is scoring 26.5 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 9.6 assists. Former Clipper Tobias Harris is averaging 16 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 46.2% over the past 10 games.
PISTONS AT CLIPPERS
When: Sunday, 6 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal/570 AM