The Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA Cup dreams are officially over. The LA Clippers outscored the Blazers in the second half and played a perfunctory fourth quarter to win. There was little to remember from this game, but we’ll give it a try anyway. Let’s dive in.

Blazer of the Match: Deni by default. Avdija was Portland’s best player on a night where the team never played its best but somehow stayed close until halftime. He finished the game with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench.

Score of the night: 36-8. That was the run the Clippers continued after the Blazers got within 72-70 in the third quarter. LA increased the defensive intensity and the Blazers had no answers. The rest was, as they say, academic.

What we’ll remember: Watching Norman Powell torch his former team. The same week that David Aldridge interviewed Powell about his breakout year after playing behind players like CJ McCollum in Portland, Norman teamed with James Harden to outscore the Blazers in the second half, finishing with 30 points. Or maybe we remember the Christmas commercial with Luke and Lorelai’s Gilmore Girls reunion. Hard to say.

Box score

What’s next: A few more days off and possibly a cupcake opponent. The Blazers return home to take on the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Although the Jazz have shown some signs of life, they are still 4-16 overall.