The Portland Trail Blazers are celebrating after a 114-104 win against the Los Angeles Clippers inside the Intuit Dome.
The victory puts the Blazers above .500 for the first time since the middle of January. It also gives them a closer margin between them and the Clippers for the eighth seed in the Western Conference standings.
The win puts the Blazers at 39-38 with five games to go while the Clippers are 39-37 with six games to go. The Clippers will be underdogs in their next game against the San Antonio Spurs, so it could put the two teams in a tie later in the week.
This was the biggest game of the season, according to Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter, and the team rose to the occasion. That should give the Blazers a ton of confidence moving forward, and they did an excellent job defending Kawhi Leonard. Deni Avdija and Jrue Holiday combined for 58 points, and their defense on Leonard, Toumani Camara among others, was the biggest factor in why the Blazers pulled out the win.
It’s far from over between the Blazers and Clippers, as they will meet once more on April 10 before the end of the season. That game could be the ultimate factor in who finishes higher in the standings at the end of the season.
Blazers Grab Biggest Win of the Year