----- Damian Lillard finished with 30 points and seven assists and Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range as the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 14-10 with a 118-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night at Moda Center.
Melo was the word!
Carmelo Anthony scored 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 14-10 on the season with a 118-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night at Moda Center.
''I thought tonight was just one of those games where we felt like we had to win the game,'' Anthony said. ''I got hot in the fourth quarter and made some shots, got a great rhythm, gave our team a different spark, some momentum, some energy, and we won the game. We know how important this game was for us, going up against the top team in the East.''
Damian Lillard didn't have a great shooting night finishing just 6-of-21 from the floor, but he connected on 14-of-15 from the free throw line and finished with 30 points and seven assists.
Aside from Melo's scoring, Lillard got plenty of help from his teammates. Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points, Derrick Jones Jr. finished with nine points and seven rebounds, and Anfernee Simons added 11 points off the bench.
Enes Kanter recorded a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. He had to leave the floor and get stitches above his left eye after taking an elbow from Robert Covington while going up for a rebound in the first half. When asked how he was feeling after the game, Kanter replied "I'm a Turkish warrior."
After a back-and-forth game, the 76ers led 93-89 going into the final period, but Anthony hit three consecutive 3-pointers to give the Blazers a 102-97 lead with 8:28 left.
Anthony sealed the win with two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back tomorrow night at Moda Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Great team-win for the Blazers with multiple players making game-winning plays.