McCollum, Lillard lift Trail Blazers over Lakers
PORTLAND, Ore. -- C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 48 points and 17 assists as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-109 on Thursday night at Moda Center.
McCollum had 27 points and seven assists and Lillard chipped in 21 and 10 as the Trail Blazers (16-22) won for the fourth time in their last 16 outings. Evan Turner scored a season-high 20 points off the bench and Mason Plumlee contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Portland.
D'Angelo Russell scored 22 points, Jordan Clarkson added 21 and Julius Randle had 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Lakers (13-26), who lost for the 16th time in 19 contests.
The Blazers used a late 13-1 run to erase a four-point deficit and provide the cushion they needed to emerge victorious.
Clarkson came off the bench for 13 second-quarter points to drive the Lakers to a 62-53 halftime lead. Lillard had 15 points and McCollum 11 points and six assists for the Blazers at the break.
Moe Harkless scored seven straight points to draw Portland even at 66 early in the third quarter, then it went ahead 79-78 on a pair of Lillard free throws late in the quarter. The score was tied at 84 heading into the final period.
The teams battled back and forth, with Turner scoring eight straight points to push the Blazers ahead 99-98 with 6:27 remaining. The Lakers followed with five straight points to take a 103-99 edge with 5:39 left.
Lillard's 3-pointer cut the margin to 103-102, and McCollum scored seven in a row to give Portland a 109-103 lead with 3:30 to go. Turner connected on a jumper to make it 111-104 with 2:03 left. The Lakers got to within 115-109 with 35.7 seconds to play, but could get no closer.
Lillard scored 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting to stake Portland to a 29-24 lead after one quarter. The Lakers made only 5 of 18 shots from the field in the quarter.
L.A. went on a 15-0 run to seize a 37-29 advantage. The Lakers hiked the edge to 62-48 late in the second quarter and settled for a nine-point lead going into the half.
NOTES: Portland G Damian Lillard (ankle) returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous five games. “We missed him at the offensive end, no question,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “It’s always good to have your best player out there.” … Lakers F Luol Deng (biceps) missed the game. … The Blazers are 4-12 in their last 16 games. ... Lakers F Julius Randle notched the third triple-double of his career - and his second this season - in Tuesday's victory over Memphis, collecting 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. “Julius just has to continue to pay attention to detail, and not worry about trying to get triple-doubles, not worry about getting numbers,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “He needs to go out and get lost in the game and focus on things he can control. If we can continue to grow on that, his numbers will be pretty consistent.”