Both teams needed this one.

The Clippers got it.

A pair of teams playing at less than full strength and, largely because of that, less than optimally of late, met Monday night hoping the matchup against the other might help them get on track.

Neither side led by more than seven points until the Clippers finally surged ahead late in the fourth quarter to win it, 102-90. They improved to 13-12, handing the Trail Blazers (11-13) their third consecutive defeat in front of 15,865 fans at Moda Center.

“Today, it was a grind-out win for us,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, via Zoom, after the victory. “They were short-handed. We knew coming into the game it was going to be a tough game for us.”

After a quiet first half, Paul George (21 points on 8-for-19 shooting) helped the Clippers seal the victory with a series of high-degree-of-difficulty shots – everyone seemingly tougher than the last – after the break.

But it was one relatively easy, especially key one, when he slipped through the Blazers’ defense for an emphatic two-handed dunk with 2:30 left, that gave the Clippers a 92-88 lead to which they held firm.

After Portland turned over the ball on its next possession, George elevated for an 18-foot jumper that bumped the lead to six points. And that advantage grew further when Jusuf Nurkic elbowed Clippers reserve center Isaiah Hartenstein in the neck with 1:59 to play – resulting in a Flagrant 1 foul that gave Hartenstein a free throw and the visitors possession back.

The Clippers capitalized further when Reggie Jackson found Hartenstein – who fouled out moments later – rolling alone toward the basket for a two-handed dunk that put his team ahead, 97-88, with 1:47 left.

“T-Lue drew up another incredible play to get Isaiah a layup toward the end of the game,” said Luke Kennard, who started for the first time this season and scored 15 points, 13 of them before halftime. “It’s just making plays for other guys whether you have the ball or are moving off without the ball. Being in the right spots, for sure.”

Said George: “We did a decent job. There will obviously be some clips that we can show where we weren’t in the right positions, but for the most part, I thought we did a better job, especially when you compare tonight against the Sac game (Saturday).”

George scored 16 of his points in the second half and finished the night with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals as well.

Marcus Morris Sr. had his third consecutive productive outing, finishing with 17 points. Reggie Jackson struggled from 3-point range, shooting 2 for 10, but he finished with 16 points. And off the bench, rookie Brandon Boston Jr. equaled his career high with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting, going 3 for 6 from 3-point range.

For the Blazers, Nurkic and Norman Powell kept Portland afloat, combining to take 43 of the Blazers’ 79 shots. Nurkic finished with a season-high 31 points and former UCLA standout Powell had 29, though he contributed just six – all on free throws – in the fourth quarter, when the Clippers held the Blazers to 4-for-19 shooting and just 16 points.

“We got some big stops there towards the end of the game,” Kennard said. “And Coach was just navigating all of us getting in the right spots, and P hit some big-time shots like he always does for us. … We just stayed patient, stayed calm, stayed together and just trusted what we were doing.”

Portland started the season 10-1 at home, but the Blazers limped into Monday’s matchup having lost two in a row at Moda Center – including a stinging 145-117 defeat to the Boston Celtics, who scored more points than any other visiting opponent in Blazers’  history.

The Clippers, meanwhile, came in having lost seven of 10 games, including Saturday’s 104-99 setback in Sacramento – when their execution faltered in their fifth game in seven days.

Neither team was near full strength Monday in their fourth and final regular-season matchup: Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely recovering from a torn ACL and Nicolas Batum remained out; after clearing COVID-19 health and safety conditioning protocols he’s engaged in what the team calls “return to competition reconditioning.”

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Portland was even more short-handed, missing stars Damian Lillard (abdominal tendinopathy) and CJ McCollum (rib contusion), as well as Anfernee Simons (right ankle sprain) and Nassir Little (left ankle sprain).

At halftime, Kennard was the only Clipper in double figures, with 13 points. Otherwise, the Clippers were struggling, shooting just 39.1%, with most of their misses – 23 of their 33 attempts – coming outside the paint.

A four-minute scoring lull let Portland go on a 10-0 run to take a 38-36 lead with 6:18 left in the second quarter.

George had just five first-half points and none in the second quarter before he got going with eight points in the third quarter and eight more in the fourth.

The Clippers will return home and begin a three-game homestand Wednesday against the Boston Celtics.

Reggie Jackson wasn’t going to let Paul George be humble after the @LAClippers win. @Reggie_Jackson x @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/u9F98xS0A6

— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2021

FINISH STRONG @Yg_Trece @LAClippers | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/iXhh8cHSxf

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) December 7, 2021

“It was a grind out win for us tonight. We just had to grind this win out.”@LAClippers | #ClippersLive pic.twitter.com/1uBKKsyCPD

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) December 7, 2021