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bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The Trailblazers returned from a bruising road trip and lost a close one to the first place LA Clippers on Sunday night. A terrible third quarter in which they got outscored by 22 points put the Blazers in a hole, but they nearly dug themselves out, tying the game with under a minute to go. Jusuf Nurkic went down with a shoulder injury late in the second quarter and didn't return. He was missed, and despite strong efforts by Damian Lillard and Evan Turner, the Blazers fell 100-104.

The Clippers have been a surprise success story so far this season and now sit at the top of the heap with an impressive 13-6 record. Tobias Harris was a particularly tough match for the Blazers, scoring a career high 34 points. Even so, everything looked great for the home team in the first half. Moe Harkless returned to the starting line-up and the Blazers appeared ready to put the last two beatdown losses behind them as they out-hustled and out-shot the Clippers to a 13 point lead going into the break. Fans were upbeat, but little did they know what awaited them in the second half. Before we get into that, let's check out a some of the fans roaming the halls at halftime...

This couple was digging the vibe:

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This snappy dresser was ready for Dame Time:
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Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers don't bring out a lot of "away" fans, but there were a few. This guy explained that the reason he was wearing LA gear was that his older brother, Avery Bradley, plays for the Clippers.
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Blaze the Trailcat dazzled the kids:
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Okay, about that third quarter: Was it bad defense or poor offense? It was both! The Blazers saw their shiny 13 point lead disappear in a flurry of Tobias Harris drives and jumpers while their shots clanged off the rim and passes flew out of bounds. Jusuf Nurkic had been having a nice game up until then and apparently hurt his shoulder while going up for a block against Harris in the first half. Without Nurkic, Meyers Leonard started the second half and while he has been putting in some solid play this year, he doesn't dominate the middle the way Nurkic does. Zach Collins played extra minutes as well and had his moments, but he fouled out. Nurkic reportedly told Clippers coach, Doc Rivers, "You got lucky" when he saw him after the game.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Still, there was excitement to be had in the fourth quarter. The Blazers regained form and chipped away at the Clipper lead. Evan Turner put the clamps on Tobias Harris and finally slowed that train down. The crowd came to life with about two minutes left as Damian Lillard completed an awesome 4 point play bringing the score to 97-100. Shortly after that Dame hit another three pointer to tie the score at 100 and the nail-biter finish was on. Sadly this didn't go the way we all wanted it to. Danilo Gallinari hit a short jumper over CJ McCollum to bring the score to 102-100 and on the ensuing possession the Blazers couldn't convert despite two good looks. It was a frustrating moment for Blazers fans who have become used to this team coming through in the clutch. Afterwards Lillard remarked that the team "is just hitting a rough patch."

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

With that loss, their third in a row, the Blazers tumbled to 6th place in the western conference. They play Orlando at home on Wednesday, a game they should, and desperately need to win.