Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija was putting the finishing touches on a dominant 35-point performance Friday night when he raised his right hand high in the air. Twitching his fingers up and down, he motioned the sellout Moda Center crowd to rise to its feet and make noise.
Just a few minutes later, Blazers starting center Donovan Clingan encouraged the same celebration. With all five of Portland’s starters taking in the scene from the bench, the towering 7-footer waved his arms up and down
to exalt more noise as the game’s final seconds ticked away. The crowd responded with a rousing standing ovation, and streamers rained down on a decisive 116-97 Portland win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Friday night’s showdown with LA was billed as the Blazers’ most important game in five years, with crucial postseason positioning at stake. Considering the way the Blazers shot out of the gate in the first quarter, the energy and focus they attacked with all night, and the emotion they displayed in the end — the players understood the significance of the moment. In emphatic fashion, they rose to the occasion and completed the task.
The win vaulted the Blazers ahead of the Clippers in the Western Conference standings. Now, the Blazers just need to defeat the tanking Sacramento Kings in the regular-season finale at home Sunday, and they’ll enter the Play-In Tournament as the No. 8 seed, carrying the benefits that come along with it.
“They’re so young. They’re enjoying this,” Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter said. “I was just watching them pregame, they were focused but relaxed about it, happy to be there and having fun competing. … There is a sense of urgency, but you can’t be too tense, right? You gotta be in between, a good balance, and I think they had it today.”
“It’s what’s beautiful about sports,” Avdija added. “Those high-intensity, important games when everything matters, every possession matters, and it feels like a playoff atmosphere, and I feel like tonight was one of ‘em. And I’m very happy with everything that went well — how we approached the game, how we defended, how we attacked. It was fun.”
Avdija set the tone Friday. He bashed and darted his way to 16 first-quarter points on 6-7 shooting — all from the paint or the free throw line — to give Portland a nine-point lead after one. That helped the Blazers build a lead as large as 20 in the second quarter, and for a moment it looked like they might cruise. But the Clippers responded and tested the young Blazers’ mettle. LA star Kawhi Leonard was a problem with a team-high 24 points, while big man Brook Lopez splashed in five 3s and 21 points. The Clippers briefly retook the lead late in the third quarter. Then LA led 88-86 at the 11:06 mark of the fourth.
At this critical juncture, the Blazers responded with an 11-0 run. They tightened up the defense, holding the Clippers to just nine points over the final 11 minutes. And their All-Star was there to bring them home. After struggling some through the middle two quarters, Avdija broke free again for 13 fourth-quarter points. He went 8-8 from the free throw line in the quarter and buried a step-back 3-pointer to put Portland up 109-93, the knockout punch with 2:41 remaining.
“He’s a special player, he’s an All-Star,” Clingan said. “He knew what the moment was, and he knew what he had to do.”
But the night wasn’t just about Avdija. Several other Blazers stepped up to deliver the win. Clingan produced 18 points and 13 rebounds, knocking down three 3s. Jrue Holiday steadied the bus and earned The Box for his work guarding Leonard. Scoot Henderson made some timely plays. Shaedon Sharpe returned from injury for his first action in 28 games to offer a little shotmaking. The three-man bench squad of Robert Williams III, Matisse Thybulle and Kris Murray combined to form Portland’s X-factor, providing major energy and impact in various box-score categories.
Thybulle was particularly disruptive, pestering the Clippers offense in the entertaining style that only he can provide. He battled through a tweaked ankle to finish with six points, two blocks (on jump shots), and four steals in just 18 minutes.
“We can’t thank ‘Tisse enough for what he does,” Henderson said. “We’re always shocked at the things he does. When he almost stole the ball from Kawhi like four times in a row, I was like, ‘This dude is crazy.’ … It’s so fun to watch.”
The Blazers were sharper with the ball against LA, finishing with just 13 turnovers. They were sharper on defense, too, collapsing onto drivers while still recovering on shooters to keep rotations intact. As they stacked stops and stretched the lead in that pivotal fourth quarter, they let out their emotion after each big play — either through chest-bumps or roars to the crowd. Clingan seemed to be especially reveling in the momentum.
“Just the way we were playing, it was just so fun,” Clingan said. “I couldn’t imagine what it was like to watch. Just getting the fans involved is really special.”
“I’m looking at DC doing this,” said Henderson, imitating Clingan waving his arm to the crowd, “I’m like, ‘Get back on defense, bro, we’re in the middle of the game!’ But we were up at that point by like 15, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna let him rock a little bit.’”
Playing meaningful basketball in April is a new experience for this Blazers team and a refreshing one for this fanbase after undertaking the seasons-long endeavor of a rebuild. Two years ago, the Blazers finished a woeful 21-61. Last season, they improved but only sniffed the Play-In race before finishing 36-46.
“For sure,” said third-year Blazers forward Toumani Camara, confirming this was the most meaningful game of his NBA career. “I’ve never played in the postseason, more than 200 games without really having a game where it has that much purpose.”
Of course, Camara and others emphasized they have more work to do this season. Come Saturday morning, they’d turn their full attention to the Kings. But Friday night was a special moment in Rip City, and the players recognized the win as an important step in their journey.
“It’s just building confidence, building these moments where the team has experience,” Holiday said. “I think once you go through these moments, and you build that experience, it carries on to years after.”
