NBA Playoffs 2012: Clippers (4-4) vs. Spurs (5-0)

May 15, 2012; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe (12) during the first half in game one of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the AT

– Time: 8:30 p.m.

– TV: ESPN

– Radio: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

– Clippers injury report: Blake Griffin (sprained left knee) remains officially questionable, according to CBS Sports, although he will probably play tonight.

– Spurs injury report: None.

– Best Game 1 plus/minus: Mo Williams and Nick Young both posted a team-high +4.

– Worst Game 1 plus/minus: Blake Griffin posted a -24 in 28:24.

– Eric Bledsoe posted an impressive 23-5-4 and three steals line, matching his career high in points set on Mar. 12, 2011.

– Chris Paul scored six points on 3-13 shooting. It was the first time since an Apr. 12 meeting against Minnesota where Paul failed to reach double-digits.

– Griffin opened the gates early with a couple of dunks en route to six first quarter points. Griffin didn’t do more damage, however, as he finished with 15 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

– The Spurs converted on 13 3-pointers but only three came from the corner. That is surprising for a Spurs team that is highly regarded as the No. 1 shooting team from the corner. For a Clippers team that wasn’t able to prevent any open 3-pointers on Tuesday, this isn’t exactly a stat in their favor.

– The Clippers are 34.2 points per 100 possessions better while Bledsoe is on the court compared to when he’s on the bench.

– In his last three games, Bledsoe is averaging 15 points, 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

– The Clippers attempted 39 shots inside the paint compared to 40 for San Antonio.

– Los Angeles missed an astounding 18 shots from inside the paint (non-restricted area) indicating that the Spurs were a little fortunate from a couple fortuitous shots. Los Angeles converted on 38.5% of their shots the paint, down from their season mark of 54.5%.

– The Clippers attempted 25 midrange jumpers, shots they converted at an abnormally high 52%.

– Kawhi Leonard notched 16 points and six rebounds, marking his second postseason game with at least 10 points.

– San Antonio prevented the Clippers from getting to the line in Game 1. Their 13 attempts was their seventh lowest total of the season.

– Interestingly, the Clippers went small for a large portion of the second half with Kenyon Martin anchoring the 5. They made a nice little rally but the Spurs adjusted and squelched the run. We’ll see if Del Negro implements this lineup combination tonight.