LOS ANGELES – Anfernee Simons scored 25 points, Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 12 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers battled past the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105 on Wednesday night.

Deni Avdija had 13 points and 10 rebounds and made a game-saving block when he stuffed Norman Powell on a fastbreak with 29 seconds left to preserve a one-point lead.

Scoot Henderson added 14 points and Toumani Camara had 12 points for Portland, which trailed throughout the fourth quarter until Simons made a layup with 2:44 left.

Powell had 30 points and James Harden had 19 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. Los Angeles made just one field goal and scored just three points, coming in the final 3:30 of the game.

Takeaways

Trail Blazers: Simons kept coming up big in the fourth quarter for Portland. On consecutive possessions, he made a layup to tie the score at 99, hit a 3-pointer to tie the score again at 102, and then made the layup for the final tie.

Clippers: Los Angeles went ice cold down the stretch. After a three-pointer from Harden with 3:35 left gave them a 102-99 lead, they turned the ball over twice, had two shots blocked and went 1 for 4 on free throws to put the game away.

Key moment

Ivica Zubac got to the line with the Clippers trailing 106-105 with 1:20 left, but missed both free throws. The Clippers never got another shot up.

Key statistics

Ayton has recorded a double-double in all five games this season.

Next

The Trail Blazers host the Thunder on Friday, while the Clippers continue their five-game homestand against the Suns on Thursday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba