PORTLAND, Ore. - Will Barton had a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers downed the Los Angeles Clippers 110-104 in the regular-season finale Wednesday night, with both teams resting key players in advance of the playoffs. Portland, which sat starting forward LaMarcus Aldridge, ends the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Seeded fifth in the Western Conference, Portland will face the Rockets in a first-round series starting Sunday in Houston. Jamal Crawford had 34 points for the Clippers, who didnt play Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. The team set the franchise record for most regular season wins (57) the night before with a victory over Denver. Going into the game the Clippers had a chance to secure the No. 2 seed in the West. But when Oklahoma City defeated Detroit earlier Wednesday, the Clippers sewed up the third seed and will face Golden State in the opening round starting Saturday. Paul, Griffin and J.J. Reddick did not make the trip to Portland. The team had already announced that Griffin would not play when the league suspended him for the game because he had accumulated 16 technical fouls. Griffin was handed the technical in Tuesday nights 117-105 win against the Nuggets. DeAndre Jordan started but he played less than two minutes before he headed to the bench. "I just value rest. And I value health. Period," Rivers said pre-game about resting his stars, even though the seeding hadnt been determined. In addition to Aldridge, the Blazers sat reserve guard Mo Williams. But Portland saw the return of forward Joel Freeland, who hadnt played since Feb. 11 with a sprained MCL in his right knee. The Blazers need Freeland to back up centre Robin Lopez against the Rockets and Dwight Howard. Portland led by as many as 22 points in the first half. Bartons 3-pointer for Portland put the Blazers up 54-37 midway through the second quarter and they went on to lead 68-52 at the half. Portland played its starters all 12 minutes apiece in the first half. Lopez was the only starter who started the second half for the Blazers. Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Damian Lillard did not play again. The Clippers closed to within 74-73 in the third quarter after Crawford hit a driving layup, two 3-pointers and a free throw. Los Angeles went ahead 81-78 on Matt Barnes 3. Portland reclaimed the lead when Freelands basket with just under 10 minutes left to make it 89-87. Crawford made a 3-pointer that put the Clippers in front 96-94, but Barton answered with his own 3 with 4:37 left. Victor Clavers 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 106-100 lead and all but sealed the win with 1:58 to go. Notes: Lopez was awarded the Blazers Maurice Lucas award for his contributions to the team both on and off the court. ... The Clippers victory over the Nuggets Tuesday was the teams 57th, setting a new franchise record. Air Max 95 Womens Nz . - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist. Air Max 97 New Zealand . - Defensive end-linebacker Mike Neal apparently is returning to the Packers. http://www.airmaxnzwholeale.com/cheap-air-max-flair-nz.html. -- League scoring leader Anthony Mantha had two goals and two assists to lead the Val-dOr Foreurs over the Blainville-Boisbriand Phoenix 6-3 on Wednesay in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Wednesday. Air Max 200 Cheap .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. Nike Air Max 270 Flynit Nz . The rest of the team was already on the field stretching before batting practice while Puig was getting dressed in the clubhouse. He had been slated to start in right field for the afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants, who beat the Dodgers 8-4.The Indiana Pacers continue at the top of the TSN.ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have climbed into second spot. Among the bigger movers this week, the Los Angeles Clippers, 10-3 since Chris Paul was injured, have returned to the Top 10, going from 11 to seven. The Chicago Bulls are playing a similar tune, if not quite as impressively, without their star point guard, Derrick Rose. An 11-4 record in the past 15 games sees the Bulls reach 13, up from 16 a week ago. There is a decided level of mediocrity in the game of the Charlotte Bobcats, but they are 5-4 in the past nine games and have gone from 23 to 19 this week. A three-game winning streak helped the New Orleans Pelicans move from 25 to 21. HHeading the wrong way, the San Antonio Spurs continue to get ravaged by injuries -- Manu Ginobili is the latest -- and theyve dropped from seven to 10.dddddddddddd Injuries also leave the Atlanta Hawks short up front, and they fell from 12 to 15. The biggest crash belongs to the Sacramento Kings, who have lost five straight and have their star centre, DeMarcus Cousins, sidelined; as a result, they plummeted from 19 to 27. The Toronto Raptors continue to push into the Top 10, matching their season-high ranking of nine after winning four of five. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '