The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 116-97 on Friday night in the most important game of the season for both teams. The win was critical, tying the season standings between the competitors at 41-40. Though the head-to-head season series is also tied 2-2, Portland leads the Conference Wins tiebreaker. Practically speaking, that means if Portland prevails in their season finale against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, they will own the 8th spot in the Western Conference and a huge
advantage in next week’s Play-In Tournament to determine the final seeds in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Here are some of the ways the Blazers pulled it off on their big night.
Run and Spread
Two factors decided the early parts of this game.
Speed was one of them. When Portland got into their tempo offense, they looked good. The Clippers weren’t as slow as they seemed in the game in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, but they couldn’t keep up with the Blazers when Portland pushed it.
For parts of the game, though, Portland got bogged down in the halfcourt. The result was tortured shots or turnovers. At that point, LA got to push tempo. During those moments, the Blazers didn’t have a chance. This was half of how the Clippers made up a 20-point deficit mid-game.
Spreading the floor was another major factor. Both teams did it well. But Portland’s shooting from the arc was intermittent to the point where they started to not trust it, relying on multiple drives and/or free throws from same. At that point, they became much easier to defend.
The Clippers tried to take full advantage of their open looks. The three-pointer was a major weapon in their comeback. Portland having to overcommit, as they so often do, left corner threes open with disturbing frequency. When the Blazers got hot from three—and you know they’re getting hot when Kris Murray hits them—they succeeded. The same story held true for LA.
In the end, though neither team gained an advantage over the other on the run (15 fast break points each) and both started missing threes as the game wound on. Portland would finish 12-39 beyond the arc, Los Angeles 13-40. That left the game close in the fourth period, forcing whomever wished to win to find another gear in their attack besides the ones they assumed would carry them.
Secondary Scorers
We knew Kawhi Leonard and Deni Avdija were going to show up for this game. Kawhi had 24 but Deni beat him handily with 35.
But the real battle came via the next men up.
Darius Garland started this game charging hard and finished with 16 points and 7 assists. Every time the Clippers got stuck early, he was the outlet, the “Give me the ball!” guy. The Blazers did a good job keying in on him late, but it was a near thing for a while.
Toumani Camara shot only 2-13 from the field, though, scoring 5 points total. If Toumani had even an average night, this game probably would have been a cakewalk. But for a while, the “other” Clippers outplayed their Blazers counterparts.
Finish Hard
This back-and-forth kept the score close until the fourth quarter. Then Portland stepped up like they had a stepladder on stilts. The flurry came on the defensive end.
The Blazers and Clippers finished with 17 and 15 turnovers respectively. A large number of those were live-ball. This led to frantic scrambling and running opportunities. These were big momentum-changers. At times in the second half it looked like some kind of goofyball scramble out there. Portland took fuller advantage, scoring 24 points off of turnovers against 16 for LA.
In the fourth the Blazers got VICIOUS, swarming and forcing LA into mistakes repeatedly. That turned the game when it was otherwise close. If you’re not going to stop committing them yourself, the best tactic is probably making the opponent match you.
The Clips managed only 13 points in the fateful final period. Portland forcing turnovers was a big part of the reason. Incredibly well done.
Free Throws
For all those eternally complaining about the referees favoring any other team besides Portland, tonight the Blazers attempted 35 free throws, LA only 12. This was a major factor in the win.
To their credit, Portland was tenacious and vivacious throughout, making their contact-heavy plays look natural while the Clippers’ looked labored. That almost certainly factored into the whistles advantage. But yeah, it was really big…a +18 advantage for the Blazers on the scoreboard.
Denitration
It will come as no surprise to anyone that plenty of Avdija’s points came on penetration and/or foul shots. It’s just shocking how good he is at it. The Clippers were loaded up against him. They knew exactly what he wanted to do. They stacked defenders like salami on a charcuterie board. Avdija chewed his way through them all, getting to the rim for layups or dishes. All seven of his made two-pointers tonight came in the restricted area. That’s incredible stuff.
Centering Threes
The big men for both teams—Donovan Clingan and Brook Lopez—both acquitted themselves well from distance. For Lopez it’s expected. That’s part of the Clippers’ strategy for keeping Clingan away from the rim. But LA left Donovan open on a few occasions and he didn’t hesitate to give it right back to the veteran center. Lopez hit 5-11 threes but Clingan went 3-7 beyond the arc. That’s plenty good enough.
One Last Tempo Advantage
One hidden benefit of Portland pushing tempo was the Clippers having to concentrate on getting back, leaving the boards unattended after their own shots. Defensive rebounds came as easily for Portland tonight as at any time this season. That was a huge energy-saver and allowed Portland to make good on nearly every defensive stop. LA ended the night with 10 offensive rebounds but they were a non-factor on the glass for most of the game.
Up Next
Portland has one more game remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, a home contest against the Sacramento Kings at 5:30 PM, Pacific. If they win it, it doesn’t matter what the Clippers do against the Golden State Warriors in their finale. Tune up and tune in.
