When Donovan Clingan finished a powerful driving dunk with 54.3 seconds left Saturday night in a nip-and-tuck game at Golden 1 Center, the Portland Trail Blazers sported a six-point lead and all the momentum.
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Under normal circumstances, it might have been an apropos moment for Rip City to exhale and start to envision a victory.
But not against the Sacramento Kings.
Not after Thursday’s ridiculous collapse.
Portland and Sacramento battled into the closing minutes for the second time in three nights, but the sequel wasn’t nearly as hard to watch for the Blazers, who made enough clutch plays down the stretch to earn a 98-93 victory before 16,382.
The defense forced Sacramento into misses on nine of its final 10 shots, Shaedon Sharpe and Clingan had memorable late-game dunks and Robert Williams III made two important free throws to lead the shorthanded Blazers (12-16) to their third consecutive win.
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“I think we used the clock better,” Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter told reporters after the game. “We (had) a couple of turnovers there again, but we got the win. Overall, our defense was good. I think we stepped up tonight.”
After Tuesday night’s debacle, the Blazers vowed to remember their late-game foibles and use them as a learning lesson. In that game, the Blazers blew a 15-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in regulation by committing a barrage of turnovers, bricking untimely free throws and struggling to inbound the ball, allowing the Kings to close with a 17-2 run and force overtime.
The Blazers eked out a wild 134-133 win in the extra period.
There was no déjà vu this time around.
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Sacramento (6-22) made just one field goal over the final 3:55 of the rematch, during which it scored only four points, and the Blazers mustered just enough on offense to earn another “clutch-time” win despite playing without starting forward Jerami Grant, who missed the game with left Achilles tendon soreness.
Sharpe was a force in the third quarter, scoring 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and setting the second-half tone with a forceful run of midrange jumpers and driving finishes. And Deni Avdija was electric in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points and handing out four assists to seal the win.
Avdija finished with 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, fighting through a mix of double teams and defensive attention, while Sharpe recorded 23 points, four rebounds and three assists. Clingan added 14 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, while playing difference-making interior defense.
“He brings the energy defensively,” Splitter told reporters, referring to the Blazers’ starting center. “It’s hard to attack our paint when he’s there and he’s active.”
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If it weren’t for Thursday’s wild finish — and the fear it might happen again — Saturday’s encore would likely be remembered most for a jaw-dropping late-game dunk from Sharpe.
It came with 2:23 left, when the Blazers were clinging to a three-point lead, as Avdija initiated a play at the top of the key.
He worked his way into the paint and drew multiple Sacramento defenders, then hurled a bullet pass to Sharpe in the left corner. The Blazers’ starting shooting guard gathered the ball, pump-faked his way past Dennis Schroder, took two dribbles and went airborne, hammering home a one-handed poster dunk over Russell Westbrook.
Sharpe soared over Westbrook practically horizontal, adding another unforgettable finish to his long list of highlight-reel dunks.
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“It was amazing,” Splitter told reporters. “I’ve never seen a dunk like that in clutch time, almost jumping over a guy. But Shaedon is like that. He can score, can shoot, can play at the rim, above the rim. Another great offensive game by him.”
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The Blazers’ next basket came via another impressive dunk, this time by Clingan, who spun around a defender along the right baseline and completed a driving two-handed finish. It gave the Blazers a 96-89 lead with 54.3 seconds left and capped an 8-2 run.
Williams iced the win by swishing two free throws with 16.5 seconds left, and the Blazers earned another down-to-the-wire win.
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It was the 18th time this season the Blazers have played in a “clutch-time” game, fourth-most in the NBA. And it was the Blazers’ 13th game decided by five points or less, the most in the NBA. They improved to 9-9 in “clutch-time” games and 7-6 in games decided by five points or less.
Next up
The Blazers play the Detroit Pistons on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Moda Center.
Read the original article on oregonlive.com.