Anfernee Simons made five 3-pointers and scored 30 points to help the Portland Trail Blazers notch a 112-97 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Shaedon Sharpe netted 16 points while Deni Avdija and Duop Reath scored 15 apiece as Portland (30-39) won its second straight game. The Trail Blazers are three games behind the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks, who hold the final Western Conference play-in position.
Donovan Clingan had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Scoot Henderson also scored 11 points for Portland, which is 2-1 on a seven-game homestand.
Alex Sarr scored 20 points for Washington, which failed in its bid to match a season-best three-game winning streak.
Tristan Vukcevic added 17 points while Jaylen Martin and Kyshawn George each had 11 points for the Wizards, who are 3-3 on a seven-game road trip.
Portland shot 42.4 percent from the field, including 15 of 46 (32.6 percent) from 3-point range. Matisse Thybulle had nine points and five steals in his second appearance of the season after recovering from a knee and ankle injuries.
The Wizards made 41.3 percent of their shots and were 12 of 40 (30 percent) from behind the arc.
Jerami Grant (knee) and Toumani Camara (calf) sat out for Portland. Marcus Smart (illness) was out for the Wizards.
Washington trailed by eight early in the third quarter before the Trail Blazers went on a 17-5 surge.
Henderson drained a 3-pointer to give Portland an 81-64 lead with 4:58 left in the third quarter before Sharpe dunked and Kris Murray split two free throws to end the run.
The Trail Blazers led 89-70 entering the fourth quarter, and Simons soon scored five straight on a trey and a dunk to increase the gap to 96-72 with 10:23 left in the game.
Washington later pulled within 108-97 on a 3-pointer by Vukcevic with 2:16 to play, but Clingan sank back-to-back baskets to stall the Wizards’ rally.
Simons scored 16 first-half points to help Portland lead 59-49 at the break. Sarr had 10 points in the half for Washington.
The game was tied at 43 in the first half before Simons scored the first 10 points of a 13-0 burst. Avdija drained a 3-pointer to cap the spree for a 56-43 lead with 1:18 left.
–Field Level Media
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