|
 He could have fooled a lot of people with his performance in the
Portland Trail Blazers' 137-105 drubbing of the Golden State
Warriors.
Lillard bombed in a career-high 51 points to lead the Trail Blazers
(28-27) to the rout of the defending NBA champions and the team with
the NBA's best record this season.
Guard CJ McCollum added 21 points and seven assists and center Mason
Plumlee contributed 12 points, five rebounds and five assists for
the Blazers, who won for the ninth time in 10 games.
"Whether I make the All-Star team or not, my focus is on making this
team a winning team," said Lillard, who scored 32 points in the
second half and 21 in the fourth quarter.
McCollum, however, provided a little insight to his backcourt mate's
mindset.
"Angry Dame," McCollum said. "He was an angry man out there tonight.
That's what we need. We need him to be aggressive, assertive, play
with a chip on his shoulder.
"He carried us tonight. He hit big shots. He defended. He made
hustle plays. He didn't turn the ball over. He played like an
All-Star tonight."
Lillard was 18 of 28 from the field, 9 of 12 from 3-point range and
6 of 7 from the free-throw line. He had seven assists, a career-high
six steals and no turnovers in 31 minutes. In a 5:18 span in the
fourth quarter, Lillard was 7 of 8 from the field, including 5 of 5
on 3-point shots.
Guard Stephen Curry scored 31 points despite not playing the fourth
quarter for the Warriors (48-5), who saw an 11-game win streak
ended.
Guard Klay Thompson had 21 points for the Warriors, who suffered
their most one-sided loss of the season.
[to top of second column] |
The Blazers shot 53.6 percent from the field and a sizzling 56.7
percent from 3-point range, knocking down 17 of 30 from beyond the
arc. Golden State shot only 39.1 percent from the field and .353 (12
of 34) from 3-point range.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was most unhappy that his players had
13 turnovers in a third quarter in which the Warriors were outscored
36-17.
"They kicked our butts. They served everything, but we should have
put up a better effort, a better fight in the third quarter."
Portland emerged from a whirlwind first half with a 68-62 lead after
seizing a 19-point lead early in the second quarter. Lillard had 19
points and six assists in the half. Curry scored 24 and Green
compiled 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Warriors.
The Blazers built the lead to 93-75 after nine straight points by
Lillard midway through the third quarter. After a 9-0 Portland run,
it was 102-75. Portland took a 104-79 advantage into the fourth
quarter and increased the margin to 35 points in the late going.
(Compiled by Amlan Chakraborty)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
