Pippen Comes Though in the Clutch Again

Scottie Pippen scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including the clinching free throw with 7.9 seconds left Wednesday night as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 86-82, for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series.

Arvydas Sabonis added 19 points and Damon Stoudamire had 13 for the Trail Blazers, but it was Pippen’s play in the final seconds that won it.

After Stoudamire made two free throws with 15.4 seconds left for an 85-82 lead, the Timberwolves got the ball to Malik Sealy. Pippen was all over him, and Sealy’s three-point try was long and to the right off the glass.

Pippen, who scored a season-high 28 points in the Trail Blazers’ 91-88 Game 1 victory Sunday, ran down the rebound, got fouled and made one of two free throws to seal it.

Kevin Garnett, only six for 20 from the field in Game 1, had 23 points on eight-for-16 shooting. He added 10 rebounds, and Terrell Brandon had 20 points.

Game 3 is Sunday in Minneapolis.

Unlike Sunday, when the Trail Blazers had to rally from a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter, they entered Wednesday night’s final period leading by nine.

Pippen’s three-pointer put the Trail Blazers ahead, 79-71, with 5:21 to go, but the Timberwolves wouldn’t quit. After Game 1, Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders said his players were taking cheap shots from the Trail Blazers and not fighting back.

Both teams responded to the rhetoric, because the fourth quarter was filled with rough play, and both sides were howling almost nonstop at the referees.