Shaedon Sharpe recorded his first double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-95 on Thursday.
Jerami Grant and Duop Reath scored 13 points apiece for Portland, which has won three of its last four games. Malcolm Brogdon added 11 points, and Deandre Ayton and Matisse Thybulle scored 10 points apiece.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points. Evan Mobley added 20 points, Darius Garland scored 15 points and Jarrett Allen had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Portland opened the fourth quarter on a 21-8 run and held a 12-point lead midway through the period before Cleveland responded with eight straight points to pull within 95-91 with 2:24 remaining.
Ayton and Sharpe scored on Portland’s next two possessions to push the lead to 99-91 with 1:33 left, and the Blazers made four straight free throws to seal the comeback victory.
Cleveland led by as many as 10 in the first quarter and held a 25-22 advantage after shooting 50 percent for the period.
The Cavaliers carried the momentum into the second quarter and moved ahead 40-24 midway through the period. Portland closed on a 16-6 run to cut the deficit to 46-40 at the break.
Mobley scored 10 points in the half to lead all scorers. Sharpe had nine points for Portland, which committed 15 turnovers. Portland hit just 4 of 15 3-pointers in the first half, while the Cavaliers were 3 of 13.
Portland’s turnover woes continued into the third quarter, allowing Cleveland to extend its lead to 54-40 after Mitchell turned a steal into Garland’s mid-range jumper.
The Blazers battled back and took their first lead since the game’s first few minutes at 74-73 when Thybulle scored with eight seconds left in the third quarter.
Portland dominated the first six minutes of the fourth quarter and moved ahead 95-83 when Reath’s 3-pointer capped a 12-0 stretch.
–Field Level Media
