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 Mission accomplished.
Guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard each scored 21 points as the
Trail Blazers held off a late rally by the Minnesota Timberwolves to
post a 96-93 victory Sunday night at the Moda Center.
Lillard also dished out eight assists for the Blazers, who have a
four-game winning streak for the first time this season. Portland
(23-26) prevailed for the eighth time in 10 outings -- six of the
wins coming at home.
"We knew we had some winnable games," Lillard said. "It was just a
matter of taking care of business."
Center Karl-Anthony Towns collected 21 points and 13 rebounds for
the Timberwolves, who lost their fourth straight and fell for the
15th time in 17 contests. Guard Andrew Wiggins contributed 15 points
and nine rebounds, and guard Ricky Rubio had 15 points and nine
assists for Minnesota (14-35).
After starting the season 1-8 in games decided by five points or
fewer, Portland has won four in a row in that category.
"That's big, that we're winning those games now," said Portland
forward Meyers Leonard, who came off the bench to contribute 13
points and six rebounds in 32 minutes. "I feel confident in our
ability to close out games.
"It didn't matter if it was San Antonio or Minnesota in here
tonight. A win is a win, and we have four in a row."
Portland led 76-74 when Leonard keyed an 8-0 run for an 84-74 lead
with five minutes left. The Wolves cut it to 92-87 on Rubio's jumper
with 44.9 seconds left.
Rubio then knocked down a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to trim the
difference to 92-90, but McCollum sank a pair of foul shots with
10.8 seconds on the clock for a 94-90 lead. Lillard closed things
out with two more at the line with 5.2 ticks left. Minnesota forward
Tayshaun Prince hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
"It's the little things that add up in a game like that," Towns
said. "We did a great job the whole game at making sure we were
playing defense at a high level, but it's those little details that
make the difference."
Lillard had 10 points and five assists to stake Portland to a 48-39
lead at halftime. Towns scored 10 points and had six rebounds in the
half.
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Minnesota scored the first six points of the third quarter to close
to within 48-45. The Wolves took the lead at 57-56 on a hook shot by
forward Gorgui Dieng, but Leonard answered with a 3-pointer to push
the Blazers back ahead 59-57. Guard Zach Levine's three-point play
gave the Wolves a 65-61 advantage, and they went into the fourth
quarter with a 65-63 edge.
Portland is a half-game ahead of Utah (21-25) in the battle for the
eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The
Blazers are 1 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets (25-25), who are
in seventh place.
"We can keep moving up," Leonard said. "It's about continuing to
believe in ourselves, period -- that's it. That's all we need.
"We've known since the summer we have a good group of talent, top to
bottom -- guys who can do a lot of things. It's cool to see it start
to come together. But we haven't even really scratched the surface
to what we can do."
NOTES: Minnesota was without G Kevin Martin (wrist) and F Kevin
Garnett (knee). ... Portland has won eight straight at home against
the Timberwolves. ... Portland's reserves outscored their Minnesota
counterparts 40-22. ... Portland coach Terry Stotts said the way the
Blazers have played through their past 10 games has been equal to
the results. "It's good to win games, but it's how we're playing
that's just as important," Stotts said. "We've been in a nice little
rhythm offensively, and we need to continue that. But our focus has
been on defense, and we're still making strides. the test for us is
being consistent." ... Stotts saw Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns
play in consecutive years at the annual Nike Hoop Summit as a high
schooler. "He was such a young kid," Stotts said. "I wouldn't have
predicted at that time he'd have gone on to do the things he is
doing. He is a terrific player. He has filled out, he has matured
physically, and he is probably the lead candidate for Rookie of the
Year."
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