----- Damian Lillard finishes with his first triple-double and sets a franchise-record with his sixth-straight game with 30 or more points as the Portland Trail Blazers top the Houston Rockets 125-112 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
It took eight seasons, but it finally happened.
Damian Lillard recorded the first triple-double of his career as the Portland Trail Blazers throttled the Houston Rockets 125-112 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
"It took eight years," Lillard said about his triple-double. “I think there's been plenty of times where I could have just hunted it - I've been two rebounds or one assist away - but it's just something I never wanted to go out there and just chase.”
Lillard finished with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, he connected on 11 of his 21 shots including 6-of-12 from three-point range. He scored 30-plus points for his sixth straight game, a franchise record.
“I’m happy for him. He’s been playing great, I’m glad they gave him that last tip as a rebound," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said about Lillard's night. "To be honest, I’m surprised he hasn’t had one before now. He plays an all-around game, but to get your first triple double, on national TV against a really good team, it’s pretty cool.”
The Rockets took a 46-38 lead with 8:45 left in the first half on a Russell Westbrook driving layup, but the Blazers erupted to close the half on a 33-14 run taking a 71-60 lead into the break.
Houston never threatened the rest of the way with Portland leading by 15 after the third quarter and building their lead to as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Led by Trevor Ariza, the Blazers held James Harden to 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting and just six free throw attempts. Ariza was flying around on both sides of the floor making plays and energizing his teammates with his hustle game-winning plays.
On offense, Ariza scored 21 points connecting on 9-of-14 from the field including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
“Somebody like Trevor, who knows the game, you don’t have to tell him multiple times what to do,” said Carmelo Anthony, "He just knows how to play the game."
Notes- Carmelo Anthony moved into 17th on the NBA's All-Time Scoring List (passing Kevin Garnett) in the second quarter.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM.
Chad's Take- Dame finally chased down the triple-double, but Trevor Ariza was the MVP tonight. His defense set the tone early in the game. He frustrated Harden all night.