PORTLAND — Nicolas Batum held on to the game ball long after the confetti celebrating Portland’s victory stopped falling from the rafters of the Rose Garden.
Batum had 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists — for his second triple-double in three games — and the Trail Blazers edged the Los Angeles Clippers 101-100 on Saturday night.
Batum had his first career triple-double on Monday in Portland’s 98-95 loss to Washington. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
But that one didn’t quite mean as much.
“It’s a better taste when you win the game," he said following the victory, the ball sitting in front of his locker.
It was the fourth straight loss for the Clippers, who played without guard Chris Paul for the third consecutive game with a bruised right kneecap.
The game was the first of a back-to-back between the two teams, who meet again in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half but they reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter and held off the Blazers until Wesley Matthews pulled Portland within 100-99 with a layup and free throw.
J.J. Hickson made a pair of foul shots to give the Blazers back the lead with 45 seconds left and Jamal Crawford missed a 19-foot jumper for the Clippers with 0.9 seconds left for the final margin.
“I’ll take that shot 10 out of 10 and I’ll make it nine out of 10," Crawford said.
Batum grabbed the rebound of Crawford’s final shot and encircled the ball tightly with both arms. He wouldn’t even relinquish his hold when rookie Damian Lillard embraced him.
“I can’t promise a triple-double every week, but I try to do something and help the team to win every game," Batum said.
Blake Griffin had 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers, just shy of his third career triple-double.
“Tough pill to swallow," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We had an opportunity to steal this one and we couldn’t convert down the stretch."
In other games on Saturday:
76ers 97
Knicks 80
PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 35 points, Nick Young had 20 and Philadelphia cruised to a victory over New York.
Cavaliers 99
Raptors 98
TORONTO — Kyrie Irving made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to lift Cleveland to its third consecutive victory.
Wizards 86
Bulls 73
WASHINGTON — Emeka Okafor had 15 points and 16 rebounds, helping Washington to another victory.
Spurs 108
Suns 99
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker had 31 points and San Antonio earned its eighth consecutive win by shutting down Phoenix in the final quarter.
Rockets 119
Nets 106
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 29 points, Chandler Parsons added 16 points and a career-high 11 assists and Houston beat Brooklyn for the 12th straight time.
Bobcats 102
Timberwolves 101
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gerald Henderson made a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left, helping Charlotte snap a 16-game home losing streak.
Nuggets 121
Kings 93
DENVER — Ty Lawson scored 26 points, Andre Iguodala had 20 and Denver used a strong first three quarters to rout Sacramento.
Bucks 109
Warriors 102
MILWAUKEE — Brandon Jennings scored 20 points to push Milwaukee to the win.
Jazz 114
Pacers 110
SALT LAKE CITY — Al Jefferson scored 25 points and Paul Millsap had 21, leading Utah to the overtime win.
