The Blazers just made the Western Conference playoff race a whole lot more interesting

The chase for the eighth seed in the Western Conference just became a whole lot more interesting.

The Portland Trail Blazers boosted their postseason prospects considerably Tuesday night in Inglewood, California, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 before 17,927 at Intuit Dome.

Deni Avdija was exceptional, Jrue Holiday showed why the team traded for him last summer and the bench quietly delivered a difference-making performance as the Blazers treated new owner Tom Dundon to a victory in his first game at the helm of the franchise.

The win moved the Blazers (39-38) within one-half game of the Clippers (39-37) for eighth place in the Western Conference standings, nudging them within arm’s reach of claiming homecourt advantage in the NBA play-in tournament.

“We were connected, we talked more, we cared more,” Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter told reporters in Los Angeles after the game. “And that’s the result, to be honest.”

Splitter on Sunday called it the “most important game of the season,” then doubled down on the statement during his pregame meeting with reporters in Los Angeles, saying the Blazers needed to “approach this game just like The Finals.” His players answered the challenge.

The Blazers played like the more desperate, hungry and poised team from the opening jump Tuesday, using a mix of moxie, defense and surprisingly solid long-range shooting to win relatively easily. After an entertaining, back-and-forth opening quarter, the Blazers took control with a dominant second, during which they unleashed a 16-2 run, limited the Clippers to just 15 points and built a lead as large as 18 points.

Los Angeles looked shellshocked.

The Clippers tried to regroup after halftime, but every time they whittled the Blazers’ lead down to single digits, Avdija would convert a tough driving layup or Scoot Henderson would swish a three-pointer or Holiday would hit a timely bucket to quell the threat. When Holiday made a three with 10:58 left in the fourth quarter, the Blazers held their largest lead of the night — 96-77 — and never let it dip below double digits.

Holiday was sensational, scoring 30 points on 7-of-15 three-point shooting to record his third 30-point performance of the season. He was at his best when it mattered most, scoring 19 points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and each of his long-range makes seemed to suck the life out of a Clippers charge.

“Jrue was amazing,” Splitter told reporters.

Avdija wasn’t too shabby either. The Blazers’ All-Star forward nearly delivered another triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while making 8 of 15 shots. He routinely bullied his way to the basket, converting tough, contested layups, or drawing fouls — he went 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. And he ran the offense with precision, tossing alley-oop lobs to Robert Williams III, no-look dimes to Donovan Clingan for dunks and drive-and-kick passes to an assortment of teammates for wide open threes. Avdija finished with just two turnovers.

But while the Blazers’ offense was solid — they finished with 22 assists, made 15 threes and controlled the pace of the game — it was their hustle and hunger that sparked the win.

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Portland routinely beat the Clippers to loose balls, wrestled away contested rebounds and fought its way to advantages. Avdija once batted an offensive rebound attempt into the air three times before finally tipping the ball into the hoop, all while being sandwiched between four Los Angeles defenders. Kris Murray once chased down a 50-50 ball on the perimeter, twirled around and charged toward the hoop, finishing the hustle play with a driving layup while being fouled. And on and on it went as the Blazers outrebounded the Clippers 56-38, including 18-8 on the offensive end, and battled to a 32-14 edge in second-chance points.

“The intensity was there,” Holiday told reporters.

It certainly was among the Blazers’ bench, which quietly proved to be a deciding factor. Murray finished with seven points, seven rebounds, six assists and a plus-minus of +19, all while seemingly beating the Clippers to every loose ball. Williams recorded six points, seven rebounds, one block and a +22, while commanding the paint on defense. And Matisse Thybulle added five points, three steals and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

And now, with five games left in the regular season — including one more against the Clippers on April 10 at Moda Center — the Blazers have a realistic chance to steal the eighth seed and secure homecourt advantage in the play-in tournament.

All in all, it left a pretty good first impression with Dundon, who officially took control of the team Tuesday.

“This is what he’s expecting and I like it,” Splitter told reporters, when asked about Dundon. “He’s intense. He wants to win. He wants to look for perfection. And that’s what we’re trying to do. It’s not easy. We all know that we’ve got a job to do and get better every day. But we’re going to fight these games that we’ve got left.”

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The Blazers just made the Western Conference playoff race a whole lot more interesting

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