On December 12, Beijing time, the NBA regular season game continued. The Los Angeles Clippers are at home and take on the challenge of the Portland Trail Blazers. The whole game was very fierce and the suspense lasted until the last moments. The Clippers narrowly defeated the Trail Blazers by five points at 132-127, ushering in a four-game winning streak while handing their opponents a four-game losing streak.
Clippers (12-10): Leonard 34 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, George 20 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, Harden 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, Zubac 18 points and 6 rebounds, Powell 16 points.
Trail Blazers (6-16): Simmons 38 points and 4 assists, Sharpe 27 points and 6 assists, Henderson 19 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Sable 11 points.
The Clippers took the lead in the first quarter, leading the Trail Blazers 21-7 at 6:21 after a 13-0 spurt. The Trail Blazers gradually got into shape and began to narrow the gap. Henderson scored five straight points to put the Trail Blazers up 20-27. Theis and Powell hit two three-pointers as the Clippers pulled away again. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 11 points at 43-32.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Trail Blazers scored six straight points to narrow the gap to five points. George hit a three-pointer to help the Clippers stabilize the situation. In the second half, the Trail Blazers came back on a spurt of 8-0 attacks that allowed them to outrun the Clippers by one point at 65-64. George hit a last-eight-second throw to give the Clippers a one-point lead at 66-65 to end the half.
In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers hit two three-pointers in a row and took the opportunity to overtake the score. Not to be outdone, the Clippers responded with back-to-back three-pointers. The two sides made a total of 16 three-pointers throughout the third quarter, including 10 by the Trail Blazers. Willis scored seven straight points to lead the Clippers to a six-point lead at 100-94 at 1:20. At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led 105-99.
Sharpe hit a three-pointer at 9:05 in the final quarter, and the two sides were tied at 108, and the Clippers called a timeout. After the timeout, the Clippers scored six straight points to reassert their advantage. The Trail Blazers struggled to catch up, and Simmons' three-pointer and Sharpe's mid-range shot gave the Trail Blazers a one-point lead at 121-120. Mann hit two free throws, George scored a layup, and then Leonard hit both free throws to make it 20With five seconds left, the Clippers led by five points at 128-123. The Trail Blazers were powerless after a timeout, and the Clippers eventually beat the Trail Blazers 132-127.