PORTLAND – Portland won its season-best fifth straight game, 108-99, against Northwest Division-leading Minnesota behind a sellout crowd of 19,533 at Moda Center. With the win, the Trail Blazers pull within a half game of the Timberwolves for the Northwest Division lead and the third seed in the Western Conference.
"I was really proud of our team tonight," said Head Coach Terry Stotts. "Obviously, we struggled offensively most of the night, and we just kept hanging around, still competed defensively, and put ourselves in position to win a game once we started making some shots."
On a night when it looked like Portland couldn’t buy a shot from deep, it was the 3-pointer that made all the difference by the time the buzzer sounded. The Trail Blazers entered halftime without a single 3-pointer. But it was the home team’s nine 3-pointers in the second half – six in the fourth quarter – that changed the game.
Tied at 86 halfway through the fourth quarter, Al-Farouq Aminu, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard each drained unanswered 3-pointers to put Portland in front for good. The Trail Blazers outscored the Timberwolves, 33-21, in the decisive final period.
"We live with threes. We get a lot of reps in practice, we get a lot of reps even on gameday," said McCollum. "I didn't realize it until Coach said we haven't made a three," McCollum added. "I was like, 'I thought it was just me.'"
Portland now stands at 36-26, a season-high 10 games above .500, after wins in five straight games and seven of the past eight. The Trail Blazers are currently tied with the San Antonio Spurs for fourth in the conference standings.
"Every game is huge," said Lillard. "This one was huge because of where they are and where we are. And because the race is so tight. Every one matters. And if you can knock off a team that is right there in the mix where you are, it's even better. And a division opponent - it's a big game." Despite a tough start shooting the ball (0-9), Lillard continued his torrid scoring pace with 35 points to lead all players. Lillard, 9-for-22 from the field overall, made nine of his last 13 shots. The three-time All-Star has now scored at least 35 points in five of the past seven games.
The Trail Blazers improve to 12-1 in their past 13 games at Moda Center. With tonight’s win, Portland earns a split of the season series with Minnesota at 2-2.
TOP SCORERS• Jusuf Nurkic tallied 16 points (7-11 FG) and eight rebounds in just 19 minutes. He led all players with eight points in the first quarter (3-4 FG, 2-2 FT).• CJ McCollum scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.• Shabazz Napier played 27 minutes, scoring 16 points after his 20-point night Tuesday vs. Sacramento.• Ed Davis notched his fifth double-double of the season after counting 10 points (5-6 FG) and 11 rebounds. He made all four of his shots for eight points in the first half.• Al-Farouq Aminu also recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.• Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 34 points (11-19 FG, 11-12 FT) and a game-high 17 rebounds. He scored 19 of his 34 points in the second quarter.
NOTABLES• Lillard has now made at least one 3-pointer in 44 consecutive games, matching Nicolas Batum (3/14/13-1/2/14) for the longest streak in franchise history.• The teams combined to miss their first 18 3-point attempts and made just one 3-pointer (Karl-Anthony Towns) in total in the first half (1-21).• Portland held a 28-14 advantage in bench scoring over Minnesota.• Maurice Harkless exited the game in the first quarter and did not return. After the game, it was announced he has a patella tendon strain in his left knee.
QUOTABLE"We've been playing good basketball. Playing hard. Playing together. Everybody's been locked in at shootaround, at practices. We've just been sharp mentally." - Damian Lillard
LISTEN UP
NEXT UPPortland looks to build upon its season-high five-game winning streak when another division rival, Oklahoma City, come to town on Saturday night. Tipoff in Portland is scheduled for 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Northwest and NBC Sports Northwest Rip City Radio 620 AM. The Trail Blazers and Thunder are currently separated by just one half game in the standings.