The veteran guard was the star of the show.
In a game that could end up being remembered as one of the defining moments in the Western Conference play-in race, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the LA Clippers 114-104 on Tuesday night.
Portland got a masterclass from Jrue Holiday, who erupted for 30 points and knocked down seven 3-pointers in one of his best offensive performances of the season. Alongside him, Deni Avdija was brilliant as well, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, just shy of a triple-double. Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson combined for 32 points, giving Portland more than enough firepower to secure a massive win.
Outside of that core group, the Blazers only got 24 combined points from the rest of the roster, but it did not matter because the defense was good enough to hold the Clippers to 104 points. Portland actually shot worse from the field by nearly five percentage points, but made up for it with sheer volume. The Blazers attempted 15 more shots overall and 15 more from beyond the arc. Both teams made exactly one-third of their 3-point attempts, but Portland’s willingness to keep firing gave it the edge.
The Blazers also won the battle on the glass, and while Donovan Clingan finished with only four rebounds, his presence in the paint clearly helped Portland control the interior and crash the boards more effectively.
The win pulls Portland within a half-game of the Clippers in the standings, making this one of the biggest victories of the year for the Blazers. These teams will meet again on April 10 in the second-to-last game of the season, a matchup that now looks even more significant.
With Portland still playing short-handed without Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant, this was a major statement win. Had the Blazers lost, they would have been staring at a much tougher path, sitting closer to the 10-seed than the 8-seed. Instead, the 8-seed is very much within reach.
Portland now heads home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night at Moda Center.