Paul George scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers handed the Portland Trail Blazers their sixth straight loss with a 117-102 victory on Sunday night.
Kawhi Leonard added 24 for the Clippers who are fighting for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Los Angeles was fifth in the Western Conference standings, just behind the Phoenix Suns.
Jusuf Nurkic finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who were ranked 13th in the West, well away from the playoff fight. Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists.
Portland never took the lead in the game, but pulled within 103-97 on Nurkic’s layup in the fourth quarter. A jumper by Leonard and a 3-pointer by George returned the Clippers’ lead to 108-97 and many of the Portland fans began to make their way to the exit.
Assistant coach Dan Craig served as the Clippers’ head coach after Tyronn Lue reported with a non-COVID-related illness and did not travel with the team.