Jerami Grant hits clutch 3s to lift Blazers past Timberwolves
Jerami Grant scored 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting and the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with a 108-104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Deni Avdija added 25 points and eight rebounds for Portland, which won its third game in a row. Donovan Clingan registered a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Julius Randle scored 19 points to lead Minnesota, which fell short in its bid to complete a four-game regular-season sweep over the Trail Blazers. Rudy Gobert (18 points, 15 rebounds) and Ayo Dosunmu (17 points, 10 rebounds) each notched double-doubles.
Portland shot 42.4% (39 of 92) overall and 24.3% (9 of 37) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 39.6% (36 of 91) from the field and 32.1% (9 of 28) from deep.
The score was 100-100 heading into the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, then Grant made a 3-pointer to give Portland a 103-100 lead with 1:40 to go.
Randle brought the Timberwolves within 103-102 when he made a pair of free throws with 1:28 remaining. After a stop at the other end, Randle struck again with a jump shot to give the Timberwolves a 104-103 edge with 53.2 seconds left.
Grant answered with another 3-pointer to put Portland back on top 106-104 with 22.2 seconds to go. Donte DiVincenzo missed a tying layup and Rudy Gobert had two tips go awry, so Grant finished the scoring with two free throws with 9.6 seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves outscored Portland 27-19 in the third quarter to pull within 87-86. Jrue Holiday made a fadeaway jump shot in the final minute to put the Trail Blazers on top by a point entering the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers built a 68-59 lead at the half.
Portland led by as many as 18 before the break. Avdija made a running layup to give the Trail Blazers a 66-48 advantage with 2:20 left before the intermission.
The Timberwolves finished the first half on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to nine points. Bones Hyland knocked down a 3-pointer to start the run, which also included two free throws by Kyle Anderson, a 3-pointer by Dosunmu and another 3-pointer by Hyland.