| |
|
NBA -- Lillard's 30 guide Blazers to 115-108 win over Nuggets
By Ryan Gallardo
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Apr 2019
PORTLAND -- Damian Lillard exploded for 30 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 115-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at the Moda Center.
Before a sold-out home crowd of 19,890, Lillard sank five 3s and finished with six rebounds and five dimes in a sizzling All-Star performance.
The victory improved the Blazers' record to 51-29 and increased their lead to two games over the 49-31 Utah Jazz for the fourth seed and home court advantage in Round 1 of the Western Conference playoffs.
Portland hit 41 of 89 field goals (46.1 percent) and punished the Nuggets off the boards, 58-42.
Their bigs -- Al-Farouq Aminu and Enes Kanter ---- combined for 24 rebounds and 34 points while Seth Curry and Rodney Hood each had 11 points off the bench.
An added bonus for Portland was the return of All-Star shooting guard C.J. McCollum who was sidelined for ten games by a knee injury. He was eased into the lineup and scored nine points in 25 minutes.
"I felt like I was moving pretty well. I felt my conditioning was in pretty good shape," said McCollum, who is averaging 21.1 points per game in 69 outings this season.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, rested their top three scorers in Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap and Jamal Murray. With the season winding down, they are already assured of home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs either as a No.2 or No.3 seed. The coaching staff felt that rest was more important than getting a higher seed as the postseason begins this coming weekend.
Without their top guns, Gary Harris carried the scoring load for Denver with 18 points. Malik Beasley and Trey Lyles contributed 15 apiece, but it wasn't enough as the Nuggets, who fell to 53-27, shot only 42 of 95 from the field (44.2 percent) and missed nine of their 20 free throws. (RG)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ryan Gallardo.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Press Conference Notes: Puerto Rican Star Xander Zayas Ready for Saturday's Hometown Unification Battle against Abass Baraou
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026PFDA Grass Nationals in Tagum on June 5-7
By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026‘THE RING 6’ TEOFIMO LOPEZ VS. SHAKUR STEVENSON PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026NEWCASTLE PRESS CONFERENCE: WHAT WAS SAID AS JOSH KELLY AND BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV ARE KEPT APART AFTER HEATED FACE-OFF
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Flores vs. Castillo’ at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026WAPA Deportes Confirmed as Puerto Rican Broadcast Home for Saturday’s Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou Title Unification Showdown
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Legendary Panamanian Juan Carlos Tapia will be inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Promotions Announces Additional Matchups for Saturday, February 28 Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026SWERVE TV STRIKES MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS TO EXPAND PREMIUM BOXING CONTENT
, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Leuenbergers to join IRONMAN® 70.3 Davao
By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 30 Jan 2026Open Workout: Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou Prepare For Saturday's Unification Showdown in Puerto Rico
, Thu, 29 Jan 2026Cabrera-Zapata Kicks Off All Star Boxing's 2026 Season
, Thu, 29 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Chess Philippines: Cash prizes, FIDE rating at stakes this Sunday
By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 29 Jan 2026IBP Fun Run & Family Day on February 15
By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 29 Jan 2026TEOFIMO LOPEZ AND SHAKUR STEVENSON FACE-OFF AT KNICKS GAME AS COUNTDOWN TO ‘THE RING 6’ ON SATURDAY BEGINS
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Davao to sponsor P500K in IRONMAN 70.3
By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026JOSH KELLY SOUNDS WARNING TO WORLD TITLE RIVAL BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV AS HE TARGETS HISTORIC NORTH EAST HOMECOMING
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Gallegos and Alvarez Shine Bright with Knockout Wins at Fontainebleau Las Vegas
, Wed, 28 Jan 2026Pedro Carrasco Remembered in Spain 25 Years After His Passing
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026Gensan Outdoor, Gensan Educator support MFPI 5th Mindanao Summit in Mt. Apo
By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 28 Jan 2026Vitor vs Subkhankulov, Tapales vs Kalsynov in Double IBF Asia Title Fights in Moscow on Feb. 13
By Dong Secuya, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026“It’s about owning my own journey” Jeanine Brown retuns for Title Clash March 13 – Thunderdome 53
, Tue, 27 Jan 2026Long Boxing Journey settles in New Bedford, MA for Junior Featherweight prospect Joshua Alvarado
, Tue, 27 Jan 2026Steph Curry is 19th leading scorer of the NBA
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026Ocum is WBC Asian lightweight champ
By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 27 Jan 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
