Lillard Scores Franchise-Best 59, Pushes Magic Number To One With Win Versus Jazz

PORTLAND -- Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was seen dancing in Portland’s locker room prior to Saturday night’s game versus the Jazz. He didn’t bother to stop once the game started. In fact, he even picked up the tempo. The 6-3 point guard out of Weber State scored 26 points in the first quarter, tying his own franchise record for most points in a quarter, before finishing with a new franchise best in scoring with 59 points to lead the Trail Blazers to a 101-86 victory versus the Jazz in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,865 at the Moda Center. “Damian was phenomenal, it was our best defensive game of the year and we played our asses off,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. With the win, the Trail Blazers improve to 40-40 overall and are 24-15 at home this season. More importantly, the victory extends Portland’s lead over the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference to 1.5 games. The Trail Blazers’ “magic number” (Portland wins plus Denver losses) is now one, meaning if the Nuggets lose to the Thunder in Denver Sunday night, Portland will clinch a playoff spot for the fourth-consecutive season.