----- Damian Lillard scores 39 points and dishes out seven assists as the Portland Trail Blazers hammer the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-117 Thursday night at Moda Center.
Terry Stotts implored his team to play with more effort and energy following Tuesday's 111-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls, and on Thursday night his team responded with a 135-117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the Wolves leading 29-28 after the first quarter, the Blazers exploded for 47 points in the second quarter taking a 75-56 halftime lead. After being called-out for their lack of intensity in the third quarter on Tuesday night, the Blazers continued to fight on both ends in the second half extending their lead to 111-80 heading into the fourth.
Damian Lillard led Portland (4-4) with 39 points and seven assists and CJ McCollum added 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range.
Jusuf Nurkic broke out of his early season slump scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and pulling down seven rebounds. Enes Kanter added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench with both Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. each adding nine.
The Trail Blazers connected on 54.4% of their field goals including 18-of-41 from beyond-the-arc.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers travel to Sacramento to meet the Kings on Saturday night. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Minnesota is perfect if you need a "get right" game.