------ The Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 116-97 Friday night at Moda Center and now are just one-win away from securing the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings!
Great night for Portland!
Deni Avdija scored a game-high 35 points and Donovan Clingan recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers hammered the Los Angeles Clippers 116-97 Friday night at Moda Center.
The Trail Blazers got a boost from their bench. Robert Williams III finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kris Murray added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles (41-40) with 24 points and Brook Lopez added 21 points and six rebounds.
Portland (41-40) got off to a great start on Friday night. The Blazers started the game on a 9-2 run in front of a packed Moda Center and closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 33-24 lead into the second.
The Trail Blazers extended their run to 21-2 and pushed their lead to 20, but the Clippers closed the half on a 19-9 run and Portland took a 10-point lead into the locker room.
The Clippers opened the third on a 31-18 run and took an 82-79 lead with two-minutes to play in the quarter.
The Blazers put the game away with a 23-5 run in the fourth quarter and cruised to victory. Portland outscored Los Angeles 30-13 in the fourth and the Clippers made just 5-of-20 from the field.
With the win, Portland now just needs to defeat the Sacramento Kings Sunday at Moda Center to secure the #8 seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Up Next- Trail Blazers finish their 2025-26 regular season Sunday evening against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 PM.
Chad's Take- Inspired effort by the entire team. The Trail Blazers set the tone with their defense, energy, and rebounding.