Shaedon Sharpe delivered a 36-point performance Thursday night as the Portland Trail Blazers secured a 112-103 win over the Toronto Raptors at Moda Center.
Portland improved to 34-43 on the season and kept pace in the Western Conference play-in chase, just behind 10th-place Sacramento.
Sharpe added six rebounds and five assists in the win while playing alongside fellow Canadian Dalano Banton, who contributed 23 points.
The Raptors, now 28-49, leaned on a youth-heavy rotation as head coach Darko Rajakovic continues to evaluate talent ahead of the offseason.
Deni Avdija added a major boost for the visitors with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
Toronto got 18 points from RJ Barrett and 15 from Ochai Agbaji, while Orlando Robinson chipped in with 14.
A.J. Lawson also added 13 off the bench for the visitors, who were outscored 36-26 in the pivotal third quarter.
Portland opened the game with a 29-31 deficit after the first quarter but dominated in the third behind Sharpe’s aggressive scoring and transition play.
A key 17-8 run by the Trail Blazers in the final five minutes of the third was capped by a driving layup from Sharpe with 5.4 seconds left, giving the team a 7-point cushion.
That lead held throughout the fourth quarter as Portland outscored the Raptors 29-27 in the final frame.
Despite being outscored 47-14 by Toronto’s reserves, Portland’s starters controlled most of the game’s tempo and shot 48.8% from the field.
The Raptors managed to shoot 45.8% overall and hit 12-of-34 from beyond the arc, but made just five free throw attempts, converting only three.
Portland played without Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, and Scoot Henderson, but still won the rebounding battle 54-35, including 17 offensive boards.
That edge resulted in 22 second-chance points for the home team, doubling Toronto’s output in that category.
Chauncey Billups’ squad committed 20 turnovers but compensated with strong defensive efforts in key stretches, forcing 17 turnovers from the Raptors.
Defensively, Matisse Thybulle added three steals off the bench while Avdija recorded two blocks and two steals.
With only five games remaining, the Trail Blazers are still in contention for a postseason spot, pending Sacramento’s upcoming results.
The Raptors, meanwhile, remain locked into a lottery position and are using their final stretch to develop players like Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo.
