Lillard's 27 points help Blazers rout Hornets
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard scored 27 points as the Portland Trail Blazers blew away the Charlotte Hornets 115-98 on Tuesday night at Moda Center.
Allen Crabbe added 21 points off the bench and C.J. McCollum contributed 18 as the Trail Blazers (22-28) won for the fourth time in five outings.
Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Nicolas Batum collected 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Hornets (23-26), who lost for the fifth straight time.
The Blazers won the battle in rebounds 51-42 and points in the paint 44-22, and held Charlotte to 39.8 percent shooting. Portland had only eight turnovers, one more than its season low.
Lillard and Crabbe each scored 16 points as the Blazers carried a 56-50 lead into intermission. Walker had 13 points and Batum 12 for the Hornets.
Portland outscored Charlotte 15-5 to start the third quarter to go on top 71-55. Soon it was 82-62. The Blazers were in front 86-68 going into the fourth quarter and led 94-72 with 10 minutes left. The Hornets got no closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
The Blazers started 0 for 8 from the field but trailed only 4-0. They took a 28-23 lead into the second quarter as Lillard led the way with 14 points.
The Blazers extended their advantage to 42-28 early in the second period. Charlotte rallied to whittle the margin to 51-48 before Portland took a 56-50 lead into the break.
NOTES: Charlotte C Cody Zeller (quad) sat out his fourth consecutive game. Coach Steve Clifford said it's unlikely Zeller will play Wednesday at Golden State, either. "Hopefully, he can practice Friday and we can have him back Saturday at Utah," Clifford said. ... Portland F Ed Davis (wrist) missed his fifth straight game. ... The Trail Blazers won nine home games in a row against Charlotte dating to 2008. ... Charlotte G Nicolas Batum joins Cleveland's LeBron James, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Houston's James Harden and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook as the only players averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists this season. Batum, averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists, spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Trail Blazers before a trade to the Hornets prior to the 2015-16 campaign. "Nic's a cornerstone of our franchise," Clifford said. "He has made a huge difference in our team."