----- Damian Lillard scores 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers comeback to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-103 Monday night at Staples Center extending their winning-streak to seven games.
With the Trail Blazers down 11 to the Los Angeles Lakers with 5:26 remaining in the game, Damian Lillard once again put his team on his back and carried them to victory. Lillard scored 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and the Trail Blazers won their 15th consecutive game over the Lakers, 108-103 on Monday night.
''I've seen a lot of great basketball in my life, but today I was like wow. He made it look so easy, effortless,'' Shabazz Napier said. ''I just saw it in his eyes. He wanted the ball every single time, he wanted to take the shot. He definitely willed us today.''
Lillard hit four consecutive three-pointers during a stretch when he scored 15-straight points for the Blazers. He connected on 5-for-7 from the field including 4-for-5 from downtown in the fourth quarter. Lillard has scored 35 or more points in six of his last 10 games.
CJ McCollum added 22 points and Jusuf Nurkic scored 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to give Lillard some support. Ed Davis added nine points and six boards off the bench.
With the win, Portland (38-26) maintained their hold on third place in the Western Conference playoff standings one game ahead of San Antonio, Minnesota, and New Orleans.
NEXT UP- The Blazers are back home in Portland Tuesday for the second of a back-to-back against the NY Knicks. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's take- Damian Lillard should absolutely get consideration for NBA MVP.