The Portland Trail Blazers went into their biggest game in years and came out with a 116-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Deni Avdija led the way for the Blazers with 35 points, more than compensating for the 24 by Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers. The win gives Portland the inside track to the 8th seed in the NBA Play-in Tournament. It also locks in at least a .500 season for the first time in recent memory.
Player of the Game
The obvious choice is LA’s Kawhi Leonard, a superstar who turned in
a typical day’s work: 37 minutes, 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The conventional choice for the Blazers is Deni Avdija, who answered with 35 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. But for me, the difference wasn’t a single player tonight, it was the team defense in the final quarter that buried the Clippers alive.
Stat of the Night
Believe it or not, the crucial difference between this game and the last two was the clutch shooting from the free-throw line. The Blazers hit 7 of 7 when it mattered most and kept the Clippers at bay. Rob Williams III hit a pair, Deni hit 5 and the defense did the rest.
What We Noticed
The opening quarter went back and forth, but mostly forth for the Blazers. Deni Avdija poured in 16, contributing to his team’s 33-24 advantage. By halftime, the Blazers had a 27-16 edge on the boards and a 15-4 lead at the charity stripe on their way to a score of 61-51. Unsurprisingly, the Clippers tightened up all of those numbers and were Even-Steven early in the fourth quarter. From there, it was a slugfest that the Blazers won decisively.
Good news: Matisse Thybulle played 9 minutes in the first half and produced 3 steals and 2 blocks. Bad news: he left the court at 4:34 of the first quarter with a foot injury and did not return until the third quarter. More good news: he was far from done.
Clippers center Brook Lopez has a reputation for 3-point shooting, but tonight the Blazers had two of those. Donovan Clingan hit three 3s and Rob Williams hit a pair.
Up Next
The Blazers host the Sacramento Kings Sunday at 5:30 pm PDT in the regular-season finale.
