Lillard Returns, Blazers Smoke Wizards

----- Damian Lillard scored 22 points in his return after missing six-games as the Portland Trail Blazers hammered the Washington Wizards 125-105 Wednesday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

He's Back!

Damian Lillard made his return after missing six-games with a strained groin scoring 22 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Washington Wizards 125-105 Wednesday night at Moda Center.

Lillard played 32 minutes, connected on six of his 12 shots including 4-for-7 from three-point range adding five assists and four rebounds.

“I felt pretty good,” Lillard said. “I thought I moved pretty well. I was able to do a lot of things... I picked my moments to really explode and take off and cut hard and fight over screens and stuff like that. I didn’t feel restricted.”

The Trail Blazers had great balance in the win with multiple guys making a contribution. Carmelo Anthony led the team in scoring finishing with 25 points, CJ McCollum finished with 22, and Hassan Whiteside dominated the paint with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.

The game was never in doubt as Portland raced to a 37-30 lead after the first. They pushed the led to 72-61 at halftime and put the game away in the third outscoring Washington 28-18 in the quarter.

With the win, Portland (28-35) trails the Memphis Grizzlies by four-games in the loss column for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference meaning every game down the stretch will be crucial for the Blazers' playoff hopes.

“We have to win a lot of games,” McCollum said. “Don’t know how many, but we got to take advantage of every game, especially against teams that are under .500 and especially in games that we play at home. Just take it one game at a time and try to win as many as we can.”

Up Next- The Trail Blazers travel to meet the Phoenix Suns on Friday at Talking Sticks Resort Arena. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6:00 PM.

Chad's Take- Another "Team Win" for the Blazers. They will need more nights like this one if they are going to make the playoffs.


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