FILE – Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers reacts during their game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on March 03, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Eric Gordon had 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting off the bench and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers won for the fifth time in six games. Los Angeles (38-34) moved within a half-game of the fourth-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.
Jusuf Nurkic registered 23 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, and Damian Lillard scored 21 points to top 20 for the 31st consecutive regular-season contest. Lillard also had nine assists and seven rebounds but was just 4 of 17 from the field.
Anfernee Simons added 16 points and Trendon Watford had 12 for Portland (31-40), which has dropped six straight games and 11 of its past 14. The Trail Blazers are 3 1/2 games behind the final two play-in berths in the West.
Simons hit a 3-pointer and Nurkic made two free throws as Portland crept within 101-95 with 7:59 remaining.
A short time later, Leonard buried a 3-pointer to make it 111-99 with 4:50 left. George made two free throws with 2:02 left to cap the scoring.
Bounced back for the W!
📼 @honey highlights vs. Portland Trail Blazers pic.twitter.com/1rjzXx3oDm
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 20, 2023
The Clippers shot 45.7 percent from the field and knocked down 12 of 28 3-point attempts, including four makes from Gordon. Russell Westbrook was just 3 of 12 from the field and narrowly missed a triple-double with nine points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Drew Eubanks and Shaedon Sharpe added 10 points apiece for Portland, which made 45.1 percent of its attempts and was 6 of 29 from behind the arc. Lillard was just 1 of 8 from long range.
Portland trailed by four with less than 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter before Gordon drained three treys during a span of 2:19 to give Los Angeles an 89-79 lead. The Clippers led 93-83 entering the final stanza.
Leonard scored 13 first-half points as the Clippers led 59-55 at the break. Nurkic had 15 in the half for Portland.
Los Angeles scored 12 straight points in the opening quarter to take a 30-15 lead. The Trail Blazers rallied to trail 36-30 at the end of the period and later caught the Clippers at 44 on Watford’s basket with 7:02 left in the half.