Blazers Grit It Out: Avdija and Clingan Lead Portland to Hard-Fought Sweep Over Kings 98-93

Sometimes, you win pretty. Sometimes, you just survive. And sometimes, you walk into a hostile arena, throw a wrench in the gears of a team desperate for revenge, and walk out with exactly what you came for.

That’s what the Portland Trail Blazers did on Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center. It wasn’t a shooting clinic, and it certainly wasn’t a highlight reel of offensive fluidity. It was a grind. It was physical. It was ugly in the way that makes coaches lose sleep, and fans chew their fingernails down to the quick. But when the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 98-93 in favor of the Blazers, sealing a home-and-home sweep that felt like a turning point for a young squad finding its identity.

Just 48 hours earlier, these two teams had engaged in a shootout for the ages—a 134-133 overtime thriller in Portland where defense seemed optional. Saturday was the inverse. It was a slugfest. It was about who could grab the loose ball, who could muscle up for the rebound, and who could keep their composure when the shots weren’t falling.

For the Blazers (12-16), winning three in a row isn’t just a streak; it’s proof of concept.

Deni Avdija Continues to Evolve

If you’re looking for the heartbeat of this recent surge, look no further than Deni Avdija. The forward has been nothing short of a revelation lately, and Saturday was his masterpiece of efficiency and playmaking.

Avdija finished with 24 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, flirting with a triple-double while controlling the pace of the game. He wasn’t just scoring; he was orchestrating. In a game where offense was at a premium—Portland shot just 43% from the field—Avdija’s ability to find the open man was the difference-maker.

It’s becoming a trend. Avdija has now scored 20 or more points in all but five games this season, transforming from a complementary piece into a legitimate focal point. His confidence is palpable. You can see it in the way he attacks the rim, absorbing contact and finishing through traffic, or how he whips a pass to the corner for an open three. He’s playing with an infectious swagger.

The Clingan Wall

While Avdija ran the show, Donovan Clingan owned the paint. The big man was a force of nature on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds to go with his 14 points. But the box score doesn’t fully capture his impact.

Clingan altered shots. He clogged lanes. He made the Kings think twice about driving into the paint. His two blocks were timely, but it was his sheer presence that disrupted Sacramento’s rhythm. In a game decided by five points, those defensive stops were worth their weight in gold.

Sharpe and Camara Bring the Spark

It wasn’t a two-man show. Shaedon Sharpe continued his scoring ways, adding 23 points. Sharpe’s athleticism is always a threat, but tonight it was his timely buckets that kept the Blazers afloat during offensive dry spells. When the offense stagnated, Sharpe found a way to create something out of nothing.

Then there was Toumani Camara. If Clingan was the wall, Camara was the pest. He finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds, but his 4 steals were the stat of the night. Camara was everywhere defensively—tipping passes, diving for loose balls, and making life miserable for the Kings’ ball handlers. His energy is the kind that doesn’t always show up in the highlights, but it wins you games on the road.

A Different Kind of Victory

Sweeping a home-and-home series is rare in the NBA. It’s hard to beat the same team twice in three days, especially when the venues switch. The adjustments are rapid, familiarity breeds contempt, and the losing team usually comes out with a fire in their belly.

The Kings wanted this one. You could feel it in the arena. They were physical, they were aggressive, and they clawed their way back every time Portland tried to pull away.

But the Blazers didn’t fold. In the past, this might have been a game where a young Portland team crumbled under the pressure of a fourth-quarter rally. Not tonight. They made their free throws (mostly). They secured the critical rebounds—winning the battle of the boards 59 to the Kings’ total. They committed 20 turnovers, yes, but they forced enough chaos on the defensive end (12 steals) to negate their own mistakes.

This win wasn’t about flashy dunks or three-point barrages. It was about grit. It was about character. It was about looking a desperate team in the eye and not blinking.

For Blazers fans, this three-game win streak offers something better than hope—it offers evidence. Evidence that the pieces are fitting together. Evidence that the defense can travel. And evidence that when the game gets ugly, this team is finally learning how to win pretty.