By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The Portland Trail Blazers put on a valiant effort in their race to snatch a playoff ticket but the LA Clippers slowed them down with a 122-117 win.
Both squads were on fire from the tip-off, scoring 144 points in the first half with Portland being ahead 75-69. It stayed a close game until the very end which eventually belonged to the LA team thanks to Rodney McGruder’s go-ahead three-pointer (118-117) with 26 seconds left and the squads calm free-throw shooting which sealed the deal.
Six players scored in double-digits for the Clippers led by Paul George with 21 in addition to Landry Shamet’s 19 and Reggie Jackson’s 17 points. Ivica Zubac scored nine points but also grabbed 12 rebounds and dished four assists.
It should be noted that the Clippers couldn’t count on Kawhi Leonard, Montrezl Harrell and Pat Beverley.
Another European big in Jusuf Nurkic put on an all-around performance, flirting with a triple-double by logging ten points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
CJ McCollum banked 29 points while Gary Trent and Damian Lillard added 22 each. Lillard banked some clutch shots for the Blazers including the go-ahead driving layup for 117-116 in the last minute but also missed a pair of key free throws afterward.
Portland stays at 32 wins (39 losses), chasing Memphis with 33-37 while the Spurs, Suns and Pelicans are following from behind with 30 wins. Clippers (47-22) held their distance from the Nuggets (45-24) in the second spot.