----- Evan Turner becomes the first player in NBA history to have back-to-back triple-doubles off the bench as the Blazers hammer the Memphis Grizzlies 116-89 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
Evan Turner made NBA history on Wednesday night.
Turner became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double in back-to-back games off the bench as the Portland Trail Blazers reached 50 wins on the season by routing the Memphis Grizzlies 116-89 Wednesday night at Moda Center. He finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
''Fifty wins is really dope, because I've never actually done that,'' said Turner.
With the win, Portland won their 50th game of the season to improve to 50-28. This is the third time in Terry Stotts tenure the Blazers have won 50 or more games in a season.
''I told the team 50 wins has always been a benchmark in this league. If you're a 50-win team, I think that really speaks a lot about what you've done in the regular season and the success you've had,'' Stotts said. ''I think we should all be very proud of what we've done so far this year. We've got our work ahead of us, but you need to celebrate moments like this.''
The Blazers had a number of players contribute in the win. Enes Kanter scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Damian Lillard missed a triple-double by three rebounds finishing with 20 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Zach Collins come off the bench and scored a career-high 18 points and added six rebounds.
The Blazers led by just three at halftime 62-59, but exploded in the second half outscoring the Grizzlies 54-30.
Notes- CJ McCollum worked out before the game tonight and is expected to travel with the team to Denver for Friday's game against the Nuggets. It is still unknown if McCollum will return to the play during the regular season.
Lillard surpassed the 2,000 point mark tonight making him the first player in franchise history to record 2,000 or more points and 500 assists in a season. James Harden is the only other player in the NBA to reach that mark this season.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will travel to Denver to meet the Nuggets on Friday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM.
Chad's Take- The Grizzlies are worse than a Salisbury Steak TV dinner.