The Portland Trail Blazers erased a seven-point deficit in the second half to win 102-97 in Charlotte on Friday night, wrapping up a perfect three-game road trip to the Southeast.
Portland surged into the lead with an eight-point spurt midway through the fourth quarter. Anfernee Simons got it started by burying a deep 3-pointer, followed by a floater in the lane. Deni Avdija hit a jumper, and the Blazers found themselves up 88-81 with 6:40 to play.
They would maintain the lead the rest of the way.
“We never really got control until the fourth quarter,” Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups said. “Proud of our guys, they continued to play their butts off and kept the pressure on them.”
The Blazers put the game away by going 10-for-10 at the free throw line down the stretch, and Jerami Grant’s mid-range jumper put Portland up 96-89 with 1:04 to play.
Simons finished with a game-high 27 points, while Grant added 22.
The win marks four in a row for the Blazers — the team’s longest streak of the season.
Portland (17-28) returns home to face Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City (36-8) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Moda Center for the first game of a seven-game home stand.