The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 122-117, on Saturday at Orlando.

The Clippers (47-22) came from behind in this one to defeat the Blazers (32-39), and they moved closer to clinching the second seed in the Western Conference, while Portland suffered a massive hit on their quest to make the playoffs as the West's eighth seed. Portland dominated the game from start to finish, but they couldn't execute down the stretch and paid a steep price for that. Los Angeles led by one point early in the fourth quarter, but they were only able to grab the advantage on a three-pointer from Rodney McGruder with less than 40 seconds left in the clock. Everything went downhill for Portland after that three, as Damian Lillard missed two clutch free throws while Jusuf Nurkic was fouled out. The Clippers held on, and they won the contest despite being down during most of the matchup.

Six Clippers scored in double digits in this contest, although Paul George led the team with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. Landry Shamet registered 19 points, Reggie Jackson added 17 points with five dimes, and Marcus Morris chipped in with 15 points and eight boards. Lou Williams (12 points) and JaMychal Green (13 points, eight boards) contributed off the bench.

C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 29 points and eight assists, while Jusuf Nurkic came close to a triple-double (10 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists) before fouling out. Damian Lillard might have missed two clutch free throws down the stretch but contributed 22 points, five assists and three boards. Carmelo Anthony chipped in with 21 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes. Gary Trent added 22 points off the bench.