Portland Trail Blazers: Top 3 performers in loss to Los Angeles Clippers

1. Al-Farouq Aminu

Al-Farouq Aminu posted 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block on 6-of-11 shooting from the field (54.5 percent) and 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc (62.5 percent). He also led the team in the plus/minus category, finishing a +7 on the night.

In his past five games for the Blazers, he’s averaged 10.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 29 minutes. He also shot 46.3 percent from the field, 52.6 percent from long range and 100 percent from the charity stripe to start the year. If he continues to keep up this high level of play, the 27-year-old forward could be in for his best season yet.

Aminu may not have been able to stop Blake Griffin, but he held his own against the high-flying big man all night. Aminu was also responsible for one of the top plays of the night: After dropping in two free throws thanks to a clear path foul by Danilo Gallinari, C.J. McCollum was able to find Aminu wide open at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer, tying the game at 89-89 with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

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Following the Allen Crabbe trade, Aminu has stepped up and become the floor-spacer the Blazers so desperately needed. His long range shooting will definitely be something to watch as the season progresses.