LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Clippers have punished whomever has gotten in their path, letting the rest of the NBA know how serious they are this season.
Their latest conquest was a 111-80 stomping of the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at Staples Center that pushed the Clippers' record to an NBA-best record of 7-1.
They have won their last four games by double digits, by an average of 24.5 points per game.
And the Clippers are walking over opponents by playing the best defense in the NBA, something the Trail Blazers found out for themselves.
"Again, it's our defense," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Our offense has been great. There was a point where we were scoring almost every time down. But I just think your defense, really, it does two things.
"It kind of breaks the spirit on the other end on their defense cause they can't score. So they're thinking about scoring. So, it's good. We've just got to keep doing it and keep getting better at it."
The Clippers, who have faced Portland 20 times since 2014, showed the Trail Blazers why they entered the game holding the opposition to a league-best 89.4 points a game and why L.A. has the top-ranked defensive-rated team (90.3).
Portland was suffocated by the Clippers' defense, making only 35.2 percent of its shots and 20 percent (six for-30) on three-pointers.
"We just keep telling each other to not play the score, respect the game and worry about us," center DeAndre Jordan said. "And we have to continue to play defense the way we have been over the last seven games."
The Trail Blazers' high-scoring backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who came in averaging more than a combined 55 points a game, never were able to shake free of the Clippers' stranglehold, scoring eight points apiece. They were a combined five for 21 from the field, 0 for six from three-point range.
Both Lillard and McCollum checked out of the game for good with about four minutes left in the third quarter.
So did the rest of the Clippers starters, four of whom scored in double figures.
Blake Griffin continued his strong start to the season, producing 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and one block to help the Clippers open a 20-point lead after one quarter, a lead that grew to 29 at the half and as much as 48 (at 93-45) in the third.
Point guard Chris Paul had 19 points and seven assists, Jordan had 16 points (making six of nine shots), nine rebounds and three blocked shots, and J.J. Redick added 10 points.
The only unsettling moment to the game for the Clippers was when Jamal Crawford became so upset in the fourth quarter that Jordan had to bear-hug his teammate during a timeout to calm him down.
"He was upset with a play," Rivers said about Crawford.
Otherwise, it was a fun and easy night for the Clippers, who started this string of blowouts by beating Memphis by 11, San Antonio by 24 and Detroit by 32.
Next up for the Clippers are the 6-2 Thunder in Oklahoma City on Friday night.
"We know how tough it is to play in OKC," Paul said. "Those guys have been playing extremely well."
