NBA: CJ McCollum nets 22 as Pelicans cruise past Lakers

CJ McCollum scored 22 points to lead six New Orleans scorers in double figures as the visiting Pelicans routed the Los Angeles Lakers 123-95 on Sunday night.

Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 10 rebounds, Brandon Ingram scored 19 points, Devonte' Graham had 12 off the bench, and Herbert Jones and Jaxson Hayes scored 11 each as the Pelicans swept a two-game road trip that began with a 117-102 victory at Phoenix on Friday.

New Orleans, which took control against the Suns by outscoring them in 42-31 in the third quarter, did the same against the Lakers, outscoring them 44-25 in the third quarter.

LeBron James scored 32 points, Russell Westbrook had 16 and Carmelo Anthony added 13 for the Lakers, who lost their second straight game after the All-Star break and fell for the sixth time in eight games. Los Angeles committed 23 turnovers and made just 7 of 34 3-pointers.

Ingram had a basket and an assist as the Pelicans scored the first four points of the third quarter and took a 55-40 lead.

The Lakers crept within 10 points, but New Orleans increased the lead to 67-50 on a layup by McCollum.

Westbrook converted a three-point play, but McCollum and Valanciunas made back-to-back 3-pointers during a 13-0 run that gave the Pelicans an 80-53 lead.

Graham scored seven points down the stretch as New Orleans took a 95-65 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The score was tied at 15 before New Orleans made a push to take a 24-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Graham's 3-pointer started the second-quarter scoring and the Pelicans led by nine points twice before the Lakers came back.

Anthony scored five points as Los Angeles pulled within one point before New Orleans rebuilt the lead to seven.

The Lakers got within four before the Pelicans went on a 10-0 run. James banked in a 3-pointer for the final points of the second quarter, leaving New Orleans with a 51-40 halftime lead.

-reuters-

NBA: Blazers backcourt shines in comfy win vs. Nuggets

CJ McCollum scored 32 points and Damian Lillard added 25 as the Portland Trail Blazers notched an easy 119-100 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Norman Powell recorded 15 points and three steals and Anfernee Simons added 14 points as Portland improved to 9-1 at home. Nassir Little contributed 13 points as the Trail Blazers completed a 4-0 homestand.

Jeff Green scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who lost their fifth straight contest. Monte Morris added 16 points for Denver.

The Nuggets played without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (wrist) for the third straight game. Denver also continues to play without Michael Porter Jr. (back), while Jamal Murray remains sidelined from April's ACL injury.

Will Barton registered 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Aaron Gordon tallied 11 points for the Nuggets, who shot 48.7 percent from the field and made 15 of 33 from 3-point range.

McCollum and Lillard each made five 3-pointers for Portland, which shot 51.1 percent from the field and was 15 of 39 from behind the arc. The Trail Blazers committed just nine turnovers while forcing Denver into 19.

Lillard has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games to emerge from an early-season slump.

McCollum scored 19 points, including a floater as time expired, and Lillard added 18 as Portland held a 66-52 lead at the break.

Lillard made four 3-pointers in the final 4:18 of the half, three coming during a 16-0 surge that gave the Trail Blazers a 15-point lead.

Green scored 15 first-half points for Denver.

Portland held a double-digit lead for most of the third quarter. McCollum again made a buzzer beater at the end of the stanza as the Trail Blazers took a 90-79 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Portland led 99-82 after a bucket by Simons with 8:55 remaining. The Nuggets crept within 12 on Barton's 3-pointer with 6:32 left before the Trail Blazers answered with a 15-3 push to make it 119-95 with 50.3 seconds left.

-reuters-

Blazers squeeze past Nuggets in 4-OT marathon

CJ McCollum scored 41 points as the Portland Trail Blazers pulled out a 140-137 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets in four overtimes Friday night in the longest NBA playoff game since 1953.

Damian Lillard added 28 points for the Trail Blazers, who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.

Jamal Murray scored 34 points, and Nikola Jokic collected 33 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists for the Nuggets in a game that featured 24 lead changes.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Portland.

Will Barton split a pair at the line, giving Denver a 134-133 lead with one minute left in the fourth OT, but Rodney Hood's baseline jumper pushed Portland in front 135-134 with 44.9 seconds to go. Paul Millsap's layup lifted the Nuggets into a 136-135 advantage with 27.6 seconds to play.

Hood swished a 3-pointer to give the Blazers a 138-136 edge with 17.8 seconds remaining. Jokic made 1 of 2 foul shots to make it 138-137 with 5.6 seconds on the clock.

Portland's Seth Curry hit a pair at the line for a 140-137 lead with 2.8 ticks left. Denver's inbounds pass was intercepted, and the game was Portland's.

At the end of regulation, Lillard scored on a driving layup to give the Blazers a 102-100 edge with 31.6 seconds left.

Barton's layup tied it again at 102-102 with 28.6 seconds remaining. Portland's Al-Farouq Aminu missed a 3-point attempt, and it was on to overtime.

In the first overtime, Millsap scored on a jump hook to pull the Nuggets ahead 109-107 with 47.1 seconds to play.

After misses at both ends, McCollum evened the score at 109-109 on a floater with 8.7 ticks left.

After a timeout, Jokic missed a desperation 3-point attempt, forcing a second extra session.

In the second OT, McCollum's step-back jumper made it 118-116 Portland with 1:26 remaining, but Barton tied it on a layup with 1:03 left.

Neither team scored again, and it was on to a third overtime.

Millsap made it 129-125 on a turnaround jumper with 32.2 seconds remaining in the third extra session.

Lillard scored on a driving layup to trim the difference to 129-127 with 27.3 seconds left. After a Denver turnover, Lillard converted another driving layup to square it at 129-129 with 8.4 ticks left.

Murray's desperation 3-point try missed as time expired, and a fourth extra session loomed.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Blazers use 1-2 scoring punch to blast Jazz

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 66 points as the Portland Trail Blazers dismantled the Utah Jazz, 132-105, Wednesday night for their eighth straight home victory.

Lillard collected 36 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and McCollum scored 30 points for the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 33 points.

Five players scored in double figures and all 11 who played scored for Portland, which shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 16 of 32 from 3-point range. The Blazers matched their season-high point total.

Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points for Utah, which had won nine of its previous 10 outings. Rudy Gobert added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz.

Lillard and McCollum combined for 45 points to lift Portland to a 74-58 halftime lead. It equaled the Blazers' highest-scoring half of the season.

Utah cut the margin to 80-70 early in the third quarter. Portland came back with a 17-0 tear to make it 97-70. The Blazers increased the gap to 109-80 going into the final period.

Portland upped its lead to 121-88 with 8:24 left. The Jazz got no closer than 29 points the rest of the way.

Portland made eight of its first nine shots from the field to take a 17-13 lead.

Utah tied it at 17-17, but the Blazers went on a 23-4 roll to push their advantage to 40-21. Portland hit 18 of 24 shots from the field to take a 45-27 lead after one quarter. It was the Blazers' highest-scoring period of the season. McCollum was 9 of 9 from the field and scored 20 points in the quarter.

Portland's lead was 47-27 early in the second quarter. Utah responded with an 8-0 run to draw within 47-35. The Blazers answered with a 23-10 spurt to up the difference to 70-45.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Backcourt boosts Blazers past Clippers

Guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 48 points as the Portland Trail Blazers downed the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 116-105 Thursday night.

Lillard scored 25 points and McCollum added 23 as the Trail Blazers earned their third consecutive win and their sixth in the past seven outings. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.

Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams each scored 20 points for the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both chipped in 19 points, and Tobias Harris had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the losers.

Lillard had 14 points and McCollum 12 as the Blazers took a 61-57 advantage into halftime. Gilgeous-Alexander and Harrell each had 12 for the Clippers.

Portland extended the difference to 81-70 on a 3-pointer by Lillard seven minutes into the third quarter. The Clippers used a 7-0 run to draw within 81-77 late in the quarter. The Blazers held an 84-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers opened the final period on a 14-4 run to go ahead 98-85 with 7:21 remaining. The Clippers scored five in a row to cut it to 98-90 with 6:35 to go.

Williams scored on a driving layup to draw the Clippers within 105-97 with 4:18 left. Gallinari sank a pair at the line to make it 105-99 with 3:57 to play.

McCollum made a pair of free throws to give Portland a 107-99 advantage with 3:07 remaining. Gallinari scored on a rebound basket to cut it to 107-101 with 2:50 to go.

Nurkic scored inside to increase the margin to 109-101, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with two at the line to make it 109-103 with 1:57 remaining.

McCollum's 3-pointer increased Portland's lead to 112-103 with 1:43 to play. The Clippers got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic scored eight points apiece as the Blazers jumped to a 24-20 lead. Portland carried a 37-28 advantage into the second quarter.

The Clippers went ahead 54-52 on a driving layup by Williams with 3:05 left in the second period. Portland took a four-point lead into the halftime break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Backcourt boosts Blazers past Cavs

Guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 53 points as the Portland Trail Blazers swept to their 11th straight victory, a 113-105 decision over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.

McCollum scored 29 points and Lillard added 24 for the Trail Blazers, who have won 17 of their past 18 outings at Moda Center.

LeBron James totaled 35 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past eight games. Kyle Korver added 19 points for Cleveland.

McCollum scored 15 points to help stake the Blazers to a 59-54 halftime lead. James had 22 first-half points for the Cavaliers, who were still in the game despite being outrebounded 25-17.

Cleveland whittled the margin to 65-62, but Portland used a 16-4 spurt to push ahead 81-66. The Cavaliers responded by scoring seven in a row to close the margin to 81-73. The Blazers carried an 88-77 advantage into the final period.

Portland extended its lead to 101-86 on a Shabazz Napier 3-pointer with 7:37 remaining. George Hill got Cleveland within 103-93 on a 3-pointer with 5:57 left. Lillard's step-back jumper made it 105-93 with 4:47 to play. Korver's layup cut it to 105-95, and James' driving layup drew Cleveland within 105-97 with 3:56 to go.

Hill scored on a layup to trim the difference to 105-99 with 3:25 remaining. When Hill buried a trey with 2:55 to go, Portland's lead was only 105-102.

Al-Farouq Aminu sank a trey and Evan Turner converted a floater to stoke the Blazers' edge to 110-102. Jordan Clarkson's 3-pointer cut it to 110-105 with 1:41 to play.

James blew a driving layup, and when Lillard sank three consecutive free throws with 28.8 ticks left for a 113-105 lead, it was over.

The teams battled back and forth through a tight first quarter that ended in a 29-29 tie.

McCollum scored eight points in a row as the Blazers seized a 45-40 lead midway through the second quarter. McCollum's 3-pointer stoked the margin to 55-46 late in the quarter. Portland settled for a five-point bulge going into intermission.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

McCollum pours in 50 as Blazers blitz Bulls

CJ McCollum bombed in a career-high 50 points as the Portland Trail Blazers breezed past the visiting Chicago Bulls 124-108 Wednesday night at Moda Center.

McCollum was 18 of 25 from the field, 6 of 9 from 3-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line in a sterling 29-minute show for the Trail Blazers, who have won four in a row and seven of the past eight.

Damian Lillard chipped in 13 points and seven assists, and Jusuf Nurkic had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who never trailed and led by as many as 29 points.

Portland shot a season-best 56.1 percent from the field, including 15 of 32 (46.9 percent) from 3-point range.

Zach LaVine scored 23 points and Denzel Valentine had 15 for the Bulls.


McCollum's 32 points paced Portland to a 67-44 halftime advantage. The Blazers shot 63.6 percent in the half, making 7 of 16 3-point attempts. Lavine had 12 first-half points for Chicago, which lost its fifth consecutive game.

The Bulls were without their top three scorers -- forwards Nikola Mirotic and Lauri Markannen (family reasons) and point guard Kris Dunn (concussion and illness). Mirotic is shut down while the team explores a potential trade.

The Bulls got as close as 88-68 late in the third quarter. McCollum had 50 points as Portland carried a 102-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

Chicago got no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Portland sank nine of its first 11 shots en route to a 23-2 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes as the Bulls started 1 of 11. It was 38-11 after McCollum knocked down his fourth straight 3-pointer and 43-19 after one quarter. The Blazers knocked down 17 of 23 shots in the quarter, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

McCollum made 11 of his first 12 shots and finished 11 of 14 from the field, 4 of 5 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line in the opening quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: McCollum scores 32, seals Blazers' OT win vs. Bulls

CJ McCollum scored 32 points and handed out eight assists as the Portland Trail Blazers notched a 124-120 overtime win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the United Center.

McCollum drained a layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute of overtime to break a tie at 120. Al-Farouq Aminu added 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting for the Trail Blazers, and Jusuf Nurkic contributed a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Portland (19-17) won its third consecutive game in Chicago and improved to 11-7 on the road this season.

  
Kris Dunn led the Bulls with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Lauri Markkanen added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Nikola Mirotic posted his third double-double in 14 games with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Chicago (13-24) lost at home for the first time in eight games.

McCollum put Portland on top for good when he attacked the paint and calmly made a 3-foot layup with 56.5 seconds left in overtime. Dunn missed a jump shot on the next possession and Nurkic grabbed the rebound. After another missed jump shot by Dunn with eight seconds left, McCollum sealed the outcome at the free-throw line.

The score was even at 112 at the end of regulation. McCollum hit a driving layup with 57.3 seconds remaining to tie the game and had a chance to win it with a pull-up jump shot from the right elbow, but the ball caromed off the rim to bring on overtime.

The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with an 87-83 lead. A deep 3-pointer by Shabazz Napier in the closing seconds of the third quarter trimmed Portland's deficit from seven points to four.

The Trail Blazers jumped to a 31-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bulls responded by outscoring Portland 30-21 in the second quarter to grab a 53-52 halftime edge.

Portland played without star point guard Damian Lillard, who missed his fifth game in a row because of a right hamstring strain. The two-time All-Star leads the team with 25.2 points per game. His status is uncertain for Tuesday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Atlanta's Hardaway, Portland's McCollum win with career highs

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Hardaway and CJ McCollum both enjoyed career nights Sunday as the Atlanta Hawks surprised the first-place San Antonio Spurs while McCollum carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a come-from-behind victory.

McCollum scored a career-high 43 points as the Trail Blazers rallied past Minnesota 95-89 and Hardaway tallied 29 points, matching his all-time best total, to push the Hawks over the Spurs 114-112 in overtime.

McCollum, who reached his previous best of 37 points twice, shot 16-of-25 from the field to set a career high for field goals.

"Obviously, C.J. had an outstanding game," Portland coach Terry Stotts said.

Averaging 27.1 points in his last eight contests, this was McCollum's fourth consecutive game scoring over 20 points in place of Damian Lillard, who injured his ankle on December 23. McCollum has scored 30 points in seven games this season.

Minnesota guard Kris Dunn came off the bench to play 21 minutes and spent a good portion of it trying to stop McCollum.

"He can shoot the ball," Dunn said. "The three, the midrange, he can drive it to the basket.

"When somebody can do all of those things, you've just got to try and find a couple of things to take away from him. He got it going today so it was kind of hard."

Canadian Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 24 points while the young Timberwolves trio of Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine combined for 48 points after getting 73 together on Friday against Milwaukee.

Towns finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in a row and 24th of the season.

Portland quickly rallied from a 12-point half-time deficit with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 51-51 on a McCollum's jumper. McCollum scored 16 points in the third and the Trail Blazers took a 69-64 lead into the fourth

Portland never trailed in the final quarter and led by as many as eight points in the closing 12 minutes.

LaVine's three pointer with 54 seconds to go allowed Minnesota to get within four at 91-87 but McCollum hit a jumper 20 seconds later and the Blazers finished the game at the charity stripe.

Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau described the third quarter as "just a total breakdown."

"The thing that is concerning is the big halftime leads that we don't protect and we don't come out with the urgency and the understanding of playing a whole 48 minutes and how important that is and how hard you have to play," he said.

In Atlanta, Hardaway scored the go-ahead free throw in overtime as the Hawks snapped an 11-game losing streak to San Antonio in front of a crowd of 18,000.

San Antonio had a chance to level the game at the buzzer but Kawhi Leonard's layup rolled around the rim and spun out.

Hardaway scored 21 points in the second half and scored the first eight points in overtime. He made the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left in overtime to put Atlanta ahead for good.

"Once you make one and then make another one, everything seems to come," Hardaway said. "We came out today and played with a lot of pride."

Atlanta's Paul Millsap scored a season-high 32 points, including 14 in a row in the third and fourth quarters, to keep the Hawks within reach. Millsap added 13 rebounds and three assists.

Elsewhere, Myles Turner recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 117-104 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Turner has scored in double figures in 14 consecutive games with six 20-plus-point performances during that span.

source: news.abs-cbn.com