Trail Blazers 108, Lakers 96
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 57 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the Los Angeles Lakers 108-96 Saturday night at Moda Center.
Lillard scored 29 points and McCollum added 28 for the Trail Blazers (7-10), who beat the Lakers for the second time this season.
Guard Kobe Bryant scored 21 points while guard Jordan Clarkson had 19 for the Lakers (2-13), who lost their fifth straight game.
McCollum scored 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to help stake Portland to a 60-46 halftime advantage. The Blazers shot 55.3 percent and knocked down 8 of 16 from the 3-point stripe.
Back-to-back 3-pointers got the Lakers within 63-55 early in the third quarter, and they closed it further at 70-65 on Clarkson's driving basket with 5:29 left in the quarter. Guard Nick Young sank consecutive 3-pointers to close the quarter, and the Lakers trailed 84-76 heading into the final period.
It was 84-78 when the Blazers used a 7-0 spurt to go on top 91-78. The Lakers never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
McCollum scored nine early points and Portland sank eight of its first 10 shots from the field en route to a 19-8 lead. The Blazers increased the lead to 30-15 and settled for a 34-21 advantage after one quarter, McCollum leading the way with 14 points. Portland made 13 of 18 field-goal attempts in the period.
The Lakers closed the gap to 49-42 late in the second quarter, but McCollum knocked down a 3 as the Blazers closed the half with an 11-4 spurt to go into the break ahead by 14.
NOTES: Trail Blazers F Meyers Leonard returned to the lineup after missing the previous seven games with a left shoulder injury. ... Lakers G Lou Williams missed the game because of the death of his grandfather. G Nick Young was to get most of the minutes off the bench in Williams' absence. Coach Byron Scott said he expects Williams rejoin the team in Philadelphia in time to play against the 76ers on Tuesday night. ... The Blazers went into the game having won five in a row over the Lakers, including 107-93 at the Staples Center on Nov. 22. G Damian Lillard scored 30 points in that game. ... The Lakers are in the midst of playing 10 of 11 games on the road, including an eight-game, 12-day trip that begins in Philly. "You play the schedule they give you, but it's like, 'Whoa,'" Scott said. "But we get the home games to make up for it at some point."