----- Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combine for 63 points as the Portland Trail Blazers win their third-straight game with a 125-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Friday night at Moda Center.
CJ McCollum is officially back!
After shooting a combined 6-of-27 in his first two-games after returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for 25-games, CJ McCollum scored a team-high 32 points and Damian Lillard finished with 31 points and six assists as the Portland Trail Blazers won their third-straight game with a 125-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Friday night at Moda Center.
McCollum connected on 7-of-13 from three-point range including 3-of-6 from distance in the fourth quarter scoring 11 points down the stretch as the Blazers took control of the game.
"He looked like CJ, Blazers Coach Terry Stotts said. "He had a good rhythm, 7-of-13 from three. That is what he was doing before he got hurt, so it was good to see."
Lillard and McCollum had plenty of help from their teammates. Robert Covington finished with 11 points and seven rebounds while playing terrific defense, Enes Kanter added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony finished with 18 on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
Luka Doncic led Dallas (21-19) with 38 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists and Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 25 points.
The Mavericks took a 110-106 lead on a Hardaway Jr. jumper with 5:59 to play but Rodney Hood answered with a three-pointer that ignited a 9-0 burst by the Blazers giving them a 115-110 advantage with 2:51 to play.
Doncic scored on a driving layup to cut the deficit to 115-112 but CJ McCollum would respond with another three-pointer to put the game away.
Notes- With the victory, Terry Stotts notched career-win number 500.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will rematch the Dallas Mavericks Sunday evening at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Lillard vs. Doncic is one of the best tickets going in the NBA.