Clippers lead Blazers with late dunk in preseason game in Seattle – Orange County Register

The Clippers returned to Seattle for the preseason for the third straight year, where several former Seattle Sonics were in attendance.

Those former players included Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Lenny Wilkens, Shawn Kemp and former Clippers Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, who watched the Clippers defeat the Portland Trail Blazers at Climate Pledge with a last-second dunk at 101 :99 defeated Arena.

After a rousing pregame welcome from Seattle and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, James Harden went to work, scoring 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting in the first half, including three 3-pointers. He also had four assists before taking his seat.

With their 10-time All-Star on the bench, others had the opportunity to make their case for minutes. Newcomer Derrick Jones Jr. got going early and finished the game with 16 points.

Bones Hyland came off the bench in the first quarter after not playing at all Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets because of hip soreness, and finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds and a steal. He is one of the young players who will compete for a larger role in coach Tyronn Lue's rotation.

Hyland was unhappy with his limited playing time last season and was sent home along with PJ Tucker for the final game before the All-Star break.

Jordan Miller and Nicolas Batum also played minutes in the first quarter on Friday.

But it turned out that it was a handful of players, many of whom were one step away from the G League, who decided the game in the final minute. With 2.2 seconds left and the game tied, Kai Jones hit an alley-oop pass from Miller into the goal, securing the two-point victory.

A lineup that included Elijah Harkless, Kobe Brown, Alondes Williams, Jones and Miller rounded out the Clippers' second preseason win.

Jones again showed off his athleticism with five dunks, including two in the fourth quarter, after tallying six times in Tuesday's game.

Miller's precise last-second pass wasn't his only contribution in the game. He finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes and continued to make a case for a spot in the rotation and possibly a full-time contract.

Miller is currently a two-way player who has established himself during Summer League play and is averaging 25.4 points while shooting 54.9% from the field and 60% from 3-point range. He also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals.