|
 Lillard scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, guiding
the Trail Blazers to a 106-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at
Staples Center.
"I just look to attack," Lillard said of his late-game exploits.
The point guard hit six of his eight shots in the fourth and 13 of
23 overall, including four of eight from 3-point range.
"When the game is on the line, I just to do as much as I can to win
the game," he said.
Just for good measure, Lillard added a high-flying dunk between
Lakers center Jordan Hill and forward Ed Davis, drawing moans from
the home crowd and resulting in a three-point play that sealed the
win with 1:04 remaining.
"What he did right there was high-level stuff," said Lakers guard
Nick Young, who managed just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
"(Lillard) is one of the top point guards in this league. Tip your
hat off to that."
 Lillard said he sized up the Lakers on a possession before since
their point guard, Ronnie Price, was playing him tight. He got past
Price in the lane and soared just below the free-throw line.
"I went up to finish a dunk, and I took some contact and it was an
and-one," Lillard said matter of factly.
Guard Wesley Matthews had 16 points for the Trail Blazers, who won
their fourth in a row. Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge finished
with 15 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought we did a lot of good things," Portland coach Terry Stotts
said. "We were consistent throughout the game. The Lakers are a
dangerous team; they've got a lot of guys that can make shots, and
they rebound the ball well. I thought we just kind of did what we
needed to do."
Lakers coach Byron Scott believed he was watching a rerun.
"Pretty much the same thing I saw last game against them," Scott
said, referring to the Lakers' 98-94 loss at Portland on Jan. 5. "We
played really tough, then Damian kind of takes over. He just made
some great shots."
Forward Wesley Johnson, who returned to the lineup after missing
three games due to a strained right hip flexor, scored 17 points to
lead the Lakers, who lost for the third time in four games. Center
Jordan Hill added 14 points, while forward Carlos Boozer finished
with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Lillard scored eight points to key a 15-4 Portland surge that opened
the final period. The visitors held an 89-76 cushion after a jumper
by Aldridge with 6:50 remaining. Los Angeles cut the lead to 98-92
on two free throws by guard Wayne Ellington with 1:17 left, but
Lillard took over from there, scoring nine points in the final 1:04.
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The Lakers (12-26) again played without guard Kobe Bryant, who was
given the night off by Scott to rest. Bryant also missed Friday's
101-84 win over the Orlando Magic. His status for Tuesday's game
against the Miami Heat is unknown.
Portland (30-8) closed the half on a 10-2 run, capped by guard Steve
Blake's 3-pointer at the horn for a 50-45 advantage. Lillard scored
13 points and handed out seven assists in the first half. He didn't
add an assist after halftime.
In the third, the Trail Blazers went up 69-62 after a Lillard layup,
but the Lakers answered with a 7-0 run to tie the score on a dunk by
forward Tarik Black. A bucket by Aldridge and a free throw by
forward Dorell Wright gave Portland a 72-69 lead at the end of the
quarter.
Blazers center Chris Kaman, in his first game against the Lakers in
Los Angeles since he bolted to Portland as a free agent during the
offseason, scored nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted to overusing G Kobe Bryant
earlier this season, but he said a recent reduction in minutes
(about 32 per game) helped relieve some wear and tear on the
36-year-old. Asked if the Lakers might consider shutting Bryant down
at some point, Scott said the club hasn't considered it but might
after the All-Star break. ... Scott, on the late Roy Tarpley, who
died Friday at age 50: "The thing that stood out about Roy was he
was just an unbelievable athlete and just a great basketball player.
Obviously, we're all saddened that he passed away." ... Portland
played again without C Robin Lopez (broken right hand), F Joel
Freeland (right shoulder strain) and G Allen Crabbe (left knee
strain). ... The Trail Blazers host the Los Angeles Clippers on
Wednesday. ... The Lakers and the Miami Heat clash Tuesday at
Staples Center.
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