McCollum leads Blazers to 10th straight win over Lakers
LOS ANGELES -- For the 10th consecutive time, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points, and the Trail Blazers continued their dominance of the Lakers in a 108-87 rout Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Damian Lillard shook off an awful first half to collect 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Maurice Harkless added 14 points for Portland.
Luol Deng scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half to lead the Lakers (15-27), who scored only 30 points in the second half. Brandon Ingram chipped in 11 points and Lou Williams scored 10. Four of the five Lakers' starters failed to reach double figures.
The Lakers haven't defeated the Trail Blazers since a 107-106 victory March 3, 2014 at Portland.
The Trail Blazers (17-23), who had lost nine of 12 entering the contest, blew the game open in the final period. They increased a nine-point lead after three quarters with a 14-4 surge to open the fourth for a 92-73 lead after two foul shots by reserve forward Ed Davis with 7:43 remaining. Portland never allowed the lead to dip below double digits.
The Lakers led 57-55 at the break before the Trail Blazers took command in the second half.
Lillard, who made only 1 of 10 shots in the first half for two points, scored 11 points in the third quarter as the Blazers grabbed the lead and never looked back. The Blazers held a 78-69 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Portland outscored the Lakers 23-12 in the third and outshot them 43.5 percent to 21.7 percent. No Laker scored more than four points in the period and the starters combined for only six points in the third.
Overall, the Blazers hit 50.6 percent of their shots to 38.6 percent for the Lakers.
The win was the second by Portland over Los Angeles in the past week. The Trail Blazers earned a 118-109 decision over the Lakers on Thursday at the Moda Center.
NOTES: Lakers coach Luke Walton acknowledged that he spoke in the past to ex-teammate Lamar Odom about a future in coaching. Odom, who has experienced drug and alcohol problems since he left the NBA after the 2012-13 season, expressed interest, particularly with the Lakers, according to Walton. "I think Lamar would be great," Walton said. "I think anyone that knows Lamar, when he's right, is one of the most likable people that they've been around and has great knowledge of the game and has a great way of communicating." ... This was the second of four meetings between the clubs. Their next meeting is Jan. 25 at the Moda Center. ... The Trail Blazers return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. ... The Lakers visit the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.