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C.J. McCollum saves the day.

It looked to be potentially the worst loss all season for the Portland Trail Blazers. Not only for playoff implications and the Blazers sinking to a lower seed, but just the simple fact that the Blazers looked like they had their hands full with the Philadelphia 76ers, a team who has yet to crack the double-digit win mark all season, at home.

Fortunately for the good guys, a three-point play by McCollum in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter gave Portland the advantage, couple that with the pure inexperience and youth that the 76ers have, the Blazers sneak away with a victory 108-105 on Saturday night. The Blazers improve to 38-36 on the season, while the 76ers fall to 9-64.

The last time these two teams met was an unpleasant experience. The 76ers rolled over the Blazers that looked shocked at the crispness and effectiveness that Philadelphia was showing off. A 20+ point lead for Philadelphia gave Portland a shock of reality and handed them their worst loss of the season. It was an upset.

It is hard to imagine that loss not still seared into the minds of every single Trail Blazer on this squad. With playoff implications on the line, it seems inconceivable that the Blazers would let one slip away at the Moda Center this close to the end of the regular season.

But, that is exactly what happened. The 76ers, while sporting a horrid record, have been in plenty of games and made them all interesting. However, it has been their lack of execution and experience that has derailed their attempts to seal the deal in many of their outings. Tonight was no exception.

The Blazers were simply not respecting Philadelphia’s outside shooting. Throughout most of the game, the 76ers were getting wide-open looks around the perimeter, attempting 38 three-pointers on the night. The only thing saving Portland was the simple fact that the 76ers shot 26 percent from beyond the arc on the night. In short, the Blazers got lucky as Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan combined to go 1-of-14 from three.

Still, it was concerning. The Blazers were unable to truly pull away from Philadelphia and with the 76ers playing with more urgency and energy, it was the behind-the-scenes aspects that kept dragging the Blazers down. Regardless of the lead, it seemed that foundation for such a victory was wobbly, at best.

Portland began squashing that notion, or so it seemed, in the third quarter where they shot 50 percent from the field and seemed to be finally flipping the script. The 76ers were cooling off, shooting 39 percent from the field and 17 percent from three. With Portland outscoring Philadelphia by four in the quarter and taking as big as a 16-point lead, it all seemed perfect in paradise.

Then the fourth quarter happened, where the Blazers seemed stunned on both ends of the court trying to keep it together before the game fell out of reach. Making just five field goals and one three-pointer all quarter, the Trail Blazers found themselves in the one situation that they could not be in.

The 76ers were rolling with confidence, shooting 52 percent from the field and finally hitting on some of their three-pointers going 4-of-9. Hollis Thompson got hot from beyond the arc, scoring 12 points in the quarter.

The backcourt tandem of McCollum and Damian Lillard seemed to be missing as they both combined to go 3-of-13 from the field. Al-Farouq Aminu and Allen Crabbe were not much better combining to go 2-of-9 from the field, 0-of-5 from three with just six points. Mental lapses and not continuing to pour it on put the Blazers in awkward situation.

The 76ers took a three-point lead thanks to a three-pointer made by Thompson with 3:15 remaining. That seemed to kick start Portland’s offense, or particularly, McCollum who powered his way to the basket and made a tough lay-up and resulted in a three-point opportunity. With the free throw swished, the game was tied at 100 apiece.

McCollum would then steal a pass from the 76ers on the other end and find Lillard wide open at the top of the key for a three-pointer to give the Blazers a three-point edge.

With Portland punching fast and precisely, it knocked the wind out of the 76ers who succumbed to their youth. Covington missed a three-pointer and would make just two more field goals in the last 2:23 of the game.

Some hard-nosed defense and effective offensive rebounding from Mo Harkless gave Portland the extra possessions and the ability to wear the clock down. However, Philadelphia was not done as Ish Smith buried a mid-range jumper with the shot clock winding down to tie the game up at 105. In a call-and-response type of manner, McCollum immediately went down and made a driving layup with :07 remaining on the clock.

Portland was in the clear, but it was too close for comfort. A loss tonight would have been disastrous, not just in the win-loss column, but in the mental fortitude of this squad. What transpired after the 76ers regained the lead was desperation and urgency that the Blazers finally felt. Taking advantage of Philadelphia’s weaknesses and acting quickly gave them the edge.

Lillard finished with 16 points on 6-of-20 shooting, 2-of-6 from three with five rebounds and seven assists. McCollum finished with 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting, 1-of-3 from three with five assists, two rebounds and a whopping five steals.

Aminu quietly had a 20-point game on 6-of-12 shooting, 3-of-8 from three with eight rebounds and two assists. Ed Davis did the dirty work corralling 13 rebounds in 26 minutes of play.

The Blazers start off their four-game homestand on the right footing. Next up, the Sacramento Kings roll into town on Monday at 7:00 p.m. PST.

Stay tuned!