Jockeying for positioning in the Western Conference play-in round hits the home stretch on Friday when the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Los Angeles Clippers for a crucial showdown.
Los Angeles (41-39) heads into its final two games of the regular season with a one-game lead over Portland (40-40) for eighth place in the West. The Clippers overtook the Blazers thanks to Portland’s back-to-back losses at Denver and San Antonio on Monday and Wednesday.
However, Los Angeles was unable to take a critical two-game lead, falling Wednesday against NBA-leading and reigning league champion Oklahoma City 128-110.
The Clippers won two straight heading into Wednesday’s contest, routing Sacramento and Dallas to rebound from losses to Portland and San Antonio. Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said revisiting the 114-104 setback against the Blazers on March 31 is vital ahead of Friday’s rematch.
“Understanding how they beat us last time (is essential),” Lue said. “They were really physical. I thought they came in with the mindset that that was a big game for them, so we’ve got to come in with the same mindset on Friday from the start — not easing into the game. We’ve got to be physical from the start.”
Blazers coach Tiago Splitter expressed a similar sentiment Wednesday, calling Friday the team’s “most important game.” Replicating its effort from the last encounter will be key, beginning with the physicality Lue referenced.
Portland dominated the glass during the meeting in Inglewood, Calif., outrebounding Los Angeles 48-30. Deni Avdija’s 11 boards led the Blazers, while Toumani Camara grabbed four of his seven rebounds on the offensive glass in a contest that saw Portland with a 32-14 advantage for second-chance points.
Camara, a 2024-25 All-Defensive Team honoree, is again a catalyst for the Blazers on that side of the ball. He comes into Friday’s game a week removed from drawing his 100th offensive foul of the season, setting a single-season NBA record.
Camara has also been a contributor to the Portland offense in recent outings, scoring 17-plus points in each of the last five contests. His 13.5 points per game supplement team-leaders Avdija’s 24 points per game and 16.3 from veteran guard Jrue Holiday.
Holiday scored 30 points in Portland’s March 31 win at Los Angeles.
“Come out and keep fighting. Execute the best as possible,” Holiday told reporters about the team’s focus heading into the final two games. “Just do what we’ve been doing. We know how important each game is.”
The Clippers come into Portland with Kawhi Leonard setting the pace at 28 points per game. Darius Garland, averaging 20.4 points per game since his trade to Los Angeles from Cleveland, missed Wednesday’s contest with a toe injury.
Another key midseason addition, Bennedict Mathurin, will look to get back on track after scoring just 10 or fewer in four of the last five outings. Mathurin was held to four points in the last encounter with the Blazers.
“Everybody here is on the same page,” Mathurin said. “It’s one game (to potentially determine the No. 8 seed). So, we’ve got to go out there and play as hard as we can.”
