----- Damian Lillard scores 36 points and dishes out 11 assists as the Blazers dominate the Utah Jazz 132-105 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
Three-days after CJ McCollum recorded the first triple-double of his career, Damian Lillard nearly cashed in on his first. Lillard would end up two rebounds shy finishing with 36 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists leading the Blazers to a dominating 132-105 win over the Utah Jazz.
With Jusuf Nurkic sitting the game out with a sore right knee, Lillard and McCollum took over the game early. McCollum scored 20 points in the first quarter on 9-for-9 shooting leading the Blazers to 45-27 lead after the first. The 45 points is a season-high for points in a quarter by the Blazers.
Lillard took over for McCollum in the second scoring 15 points as the Blazers took a commanding 74-58 halftime lead. The Blazers put the game away in the third erupting for 35 points.
Meyers Leonard got the start in place of Nurkic and responded with a season-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
The Blazers got 42 points off the bench. Zach Collins led the way with 12 points and eight rebounds, Jake Layman added 11, and Seth Curry scored eight points on 2-for-3 shooting from three-point range.
Portland (32-20) scorched the Jazz defense by connecting on 53.3% of their shots including 16-for-32 from three-point range. The Blazers have now won eight-straight games at Moda Center and 10 of their last 13 games overall. The Blazers finished with 28 assists against the Jazz and are now 17-3 on the year when they record 25 assists or more in a game.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers won't play again until Tuesday, February 5th when they host the Miami Heat. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM.
Chad's Take- Props to Meyers Leonard. With Jusuf Nurkic sitting this one out, he played his best game of the season. He is quietly putting together a nice season.