PORTLAND, Ore. — CJ McCollum scored 32 points and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the depleted Denver Nuggets their fifth straight loss with a 119-100 victory Tuesday night.
Damian Lillard had 25 points and five assists to help the Blazers to their fourth consecutive win and ninth in a row at home.
Jeff Green led Denver with 24 points. After the Nuggets took a 49-48 lead with 3:35 left in the second quarter, Portland seized control. The Trail Blazers unleashed an 18-3 spurt to close the first half, sparked by four 3-pointers from Lillard and capped by a buzzer-beating layup by McCollum, giving them a 64-52 lead at halftime. From that point on, the smallest Blazers lead was eight points.
Lillard was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, averaging 28.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.00 steal and 1.67 blocks.
