Clippers Defeat Trail Blazers for the First Time in Three Years

Ken Norman scored 34 points and Benoit Benjamin added 29 Thursday night at the Sports Arena as the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers for the first time in three years, 133-123.

Rookie Gary Grant added 17 points and 20 assists for the Clippers, who had lost 17 in a row to Portland. The Clippers now have 18 victories, one more than they had last season.

Clyde Drexler scored 36 points for Portland, whose lead over Dallas shrunk to one game for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The defeat was the Blazers’ seventh in the past nine games.

Jerome Kersey and Terry Porter each scored 20 points for Portland.

After the Clippers took a 113-99 lead on Norman’s layup, Drexler keyed a Portland rally that cut the deficit to seven points with 3:03 left. But Benjamin sealed the victory with a dunk and four free throws down the stretch.

The Clippers led, 65-50, at halftime and took their biggest lead of the game, 81-58, with 7:46 left in the third quarter.