PORTLAND, OR (Dec. 13) Damian Lillard tied his own record with 11 made three-pointers and finished the season with 38 points, leading the Portland Trail Blazers over the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-112 Monday night.
Lillard shot 11-for-17 from long range and did not play in the fourth quarter. The Blazers have never fallen behind and have led as many as 27, AP reports.
Jerami Grant scored 24 points, and Portland and Yusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points for Minnesota. Rudy Gobert scored 20 rebounds with 16 points.
Lillard made eight seconds and scored 27 points as the Blazers led 70-59 at halftime. He opened the second half by making his ninth 3-pointer.
Lillard tied his team record with 11 with 3, and put Portland ahead 88-70 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves were shut out to within 88-78, which resulted in a Blazers timeout. Portland pushed its lead to 106-84 in the fourth quarter.
Tip-ins
Timberwolves: Minnesota’s defensive efforts were thwarted by errors. Coach Chris Finken believes mistakes can also affect an offense, one night after Minnesota went 22-4 on fast-break points. “One of the worst parts of pollution is that you have a static defense all the time,” said Finch. “It slows the game down. We didn’t run much that day.”
Trail Blazers: After starting the season as a top 10 defense, the Blazers have slipped to #23 in the defensive rankings. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups believes there are several things at play.
“Our focus is spotty. Sometimes the laser’s in, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we’re both through the game. Some of these offenses we’re playing are tough too. All of the above. I think we’re in a good space as a team but we just have to tighten some things up.”
next one
Minnesota: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
PORTLAND: Visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.