PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Deni Avdija scored 35 points, Donovan Clingan had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-97 on Friday night to take the inside track for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.If Portland beats the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, the Blazers will secure their spot in the 7-8 play-in game on Tuesday in Phoenix against the Suns.Robert Williams III had 13 points and 10 rebounds as Portland outrebounded the Clippers 46-35 and won the turnover battle despite leading the league in turnovers.Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and eight rebounds.After Portland took a 55-35 first-half lead, the Clippers stormed back. Jordan Millers 3-pointer gave the Clippers their first lead since the first quarter at 82-79 with 2:05 left in the third. But the lead was short-lived as Matisse Thybulle tied it at 82 on Portlands next possession.After the Clippers took an 88-86 lead with 11:06 left, Jrue Holiday tied the game at 88 with free throws and Williams gave Portland a 90-88 lead with 10:31 left.Williams scored on a dunk with 8:22 left to make it 92-88, forcing a timeout. Leonard missed a jumper out of the timeout and Avdijas 3-point play made it 95-88 with 7:41 left.Avdija made two foul shots to make it 99-90 with 4:51 left. Brook Lopez's 3-pointer with 4:36 left made it 99-93. Portlands Toumani Camara made it 101-93 on Portlands next possession. Lopez was called for a technical foul with 3:26 left and Avdija made the shot to make it 104-93.Avdija hit a 3-pointer with 2:41 left to make it 109-93 and Portland never looked back.Portland's Shaedon Sharpe returned after missing the last 28 games and finished with eight points in 15 minutes.Up nextClippers: Host the Warriors on Saturday.Trail Blazers: Host the Kings on Saturday.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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from the DRA comes shortly after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned trans women from