The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Moda Center on Friday.

The Clippers (1-3) only win was a blowout victory over these Blazers, suffering losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies in the other three outings. That obviously won't get it done, and it's really discouraging since they've yet to play any elite competition. That's a good indicator of how much they're missing Kawhi Leonard, but they better figure things without him since he'll miss most of the season. Paul George has done all he can, but who's going to perform outside of him? It's up to guys like Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson, and Ivica Zubac to take a significant step forward, but who knows where they'll be a month from now.

The Trail Blazers (2-2) look like the most volatile team in the NBA right now. Their closest game over the last week was a 116-96 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, suffering a 30-point loss in the game prior, which followed up a 29-point win before that. It makes it hard to understand where this team is at, especially with Damian Lillard struggling so badly with his shot. There was some talk about a back issue with him in the offseason, and it's hard to see it getting any better when you see his 33 percent field goal percentage and 17 percent three-point percentage. Some people might say that positive regression is headed his way, and others might say that he's too injured to perform. In any case, the Trail Blazers need him to play better if they are to contend this season.

These teams played just last week, with Los Angeles winning in dominating fashion, 116-86. That gives the Clippers seven straight wins in this series dating back three years.