WASHINGTON (AP) — Shaedon Sharpe threw down a vicious one-handed slam that was immediately hailed as one of the best dunks of the season, part of a career-best 36-point performance that carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a 129-121 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Sharpe shot 13 of 26 from the floor and and converted all four of his free throws inside the final minute as the Trail Blazers maintained a lead of at least three throughout the fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson each added 16 points for Portland, which began the night 4 1/2 games back of Sacramento for the the Western Conference’s final play-in spot.
Jordan Poole scored 24 points for NBA-worst Washington, which was attempting to win back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row to begin the month. Richaun Holmes added a career-high 20 points and Corey Kispeprt also scored 20.
Takeaways
Trail Blazers: Former Wizards forward Deni Avdija left the game with a left quadriceps injury after playing only six minutes of the first quarter. He scored five points, having entered averaging 14.8 this season.
Wizards: Holmes rewarded coach Brian Keefe for his seventh February start with one of his best performances. He finished 7 of 7 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the foul line.
Key moment
Sharpe’s second-quarter tomahawk slam will be a lasting memory for those in the building. He swiped Justin Champagnie’s pass just beyond the 3-point line, took one dribble, then soared above the contesting Champagnie, pulled the ball back above his head and flushed it through the rim with such force he tumbled to the ground.
Key stat
The Trail Blazers led 101-83 in field goal attempts, and 57-41 before halftime.
Up next
Trail Blazers: At Brooklyn on Friday.
Wizards: At Charlotte on Saturday.
James Harden scores 30, Clippers hold off Bulls 122-117 to stop 3-game skid
CHICAGO (AP) — James Harden made seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 122-117. Kawhi Leonard had 17 points and eight rebounds after missing back-to-back games because of a sore left foot. Amir Coffey scored 20, and Los Angeles got back to winning after losing three in a row. Derrick Jones Jr. added 16 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic made 4 of 5 3s and finished with 14 points, helping the sixth-place Clippers move a half-game ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference. Zach Collins set season highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, and Josh Giddey had 21 points and 12 assists.