Trail Blazers vs. Nets score: Portland clinches No. 8 seed in the West behind another big Damian Lillard night
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After months of planning, and two weeks of seeding games inside the NBA’s Disney World bubble, it all came down to the Portland Trail Blazers’ matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. And after an incredible back-and-forth game, the Blazers clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a 134-133 win.
The situation was pretty simple. Win, and the Blazers advanced to the play-in, lose, and the Suns would have been in. Damian Lillard, after everything he’s done in the bubble, wasn’t letting the latter happen. He finished with 42 points and 12 assists for his fourth 40-point night in the seeding games.
It was another incredible performance by Lillard, but Caris LeVert nearly broke the Blazers’ hearts. The young Brooklyn guard was stellar in his own right, going for 37 points, six rebounds and nine assists, but his potential game-winner clanged off the back of the rim — saving Portland and ending Phoenix’s season.