National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Clippers 98, Portland 97
When: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, March 30, 2012
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #34 Kevin Cutler, #75 Eric Dalen
Attendance: 19060

CLIPPERS 98, TRAIL BLAZERS 97: Chris Paul hit the winning layup with five seconds left and finished with 20 points and 14 assists as host Los Angeles won its fourth straight game.

Blake Griffin added 20 points and 13 rebounds and Randy Foye also scored 20 points to help the Clippers pull within a game of the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers.

Paul's decisive shot countered a rainbow jumper by Portland's Jamal Crawford and extended Los Angeles' home winning streak to six.

J.J. Hickson, subbing for Trail Blazers leading scorer and rebounder LaMarcus Aldridge, had 29 points and 13 rebounds in only his fifth game with Portland.

Hickson, who was picked up off waivers from Sacramento, scored six straight points and Raymond Felton buried a 3-pointer to cap a 9-2 run that gave Portland an 89-83 lead with 4:13 to play.

The Clippers chipped away and went ahead 96-95 on Foye's 3-pointer - his fifth of the game - with 47.8 seconds left.

The teams traded huge runs in the second quarter. Portland ripped off 15 consecutive points to build a 35-25 margin, only to see Foye pour in 12 in a 16-4 burst to help Los Angeles take a 46-43 halftime edge.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Aldridge sprained his left elbow in Thursday's win over New Orleans. The All-Star forward is averaging 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds. ... Clippers F Reggie Evans was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for making an obscene gesture in Monday's game Monday against New Orleans. Television cameras caught Evans dragging a middle finger across his face as he smiled at a heckler while we was at the free-throw line. ... Crawford was 2 of 3 from behind the arc. He had missed 12 straight 3-point attempts in his previous three games.
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   L.A. Clippers
J.J. Hickson 29 Scoring Randy Foye 20
Raymond Felton 8 Assists Chris Paul 14
J.J. Hickson 13 Rebounds Blake Griffin 13
J.J. Hickson 3 Free Throws Made Blake Griffin 4
Wesley Matthews 2 Steals Chris Paul 4
Joel Przybilla 1 Blocks DeAndre Jordan 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 97 50.0 8-19 11-15 24 36 1 6 13
L.A. Clippers 98 52.0 8-21 12-19 26 31 6 7 13
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game at home against Utah. The Clippers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .714 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .208 after a win and .679 after a loss.