Damian Lillard's 39 Points Lead Blazers to Comeback Win vs. Lonzo Ball, Lakers
There's a reason the fourth quarter is known as Lillard Time when the Portland Trail Blazers are on the floor.
Unfazed by an 11-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining, Damian Lillard poured in 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter Monday, spearheading Portland's 108-103 victory over Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
His individual brilliance extended the Trail Blazers' winning streak to seven games and pushed their record to 9-1 in the last 10. Portland has climbed all the way to the No. 3 seed in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff race as a result.
Even with Lillard lighting it up from downtown in the closing stretch and turning what appeared to be a surefire loss into a win, CJ McCollum left the door open for the Lakers by missing two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining while Portland clung to a three-point advantage.
However, Isaiah Thomas missed a free throw on a dead-ball foul on the ensuing possession and was then stripped as he was going up for a potential game-tying three. It was a fitting ending for the former Boston Celtics star given his struggles throughout the night, as he finished 5-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-9 from three-point range on his way to 19 points.
The story of the game was Lillard, especially when he caught fire from deep in crunch time.
He drilled four straight threes to cap off a personal 14-2 run, which turned a 97-89 deficit into a 103-99 lead with 2:22 remaining. It stunned the hostile Lakers crowd that at this point should be accustomed to losing to Portland:
Lillard has been carrying the offense for Portland as of late. Monday marked his ninth straight outing with 20-plus points, and he scored 35 or more in six of those. He even reached 40 in three of those contests and 50 in one, but his ability to come through in clutch moments is what stood out against the Lakers.
McCollum (22 points, five rebounds and five assists) and Jusuf Nurkic (16 points and 16 boards) played the role of best supporting actors in La La Land, while Shabazz Napier did his best Lillard impersonation when he crossed up Tyler Ennis and left the Lakers guard stumbling:
Even with Lillard knifing through the Los Angeles defense for much of the game, the Lakers were in control until the finish.
The early showing was even more impressive since they announced Brandon Ingram was out with a left groin strain, which put the onus on the rest of the core to carry more of the offensive load.
Ball has been doing that lately after missing an extended stretch in January and February with a sprained MCL. He entered Monday's contest having racked up five or more assists in each of his last four games, and he drilled 63.6 percent of his three-point attempts during that span.
His shot was there again against Portland, as he finished 3-of-7 from deep, but he took a backseat with just 10 points and two assists.
Instead, Julius Randle led the way for L.A. with 21 points and nine boards. He helped anchor a balanced attack that featured six Lakers scoring in double figures.
That wasn't enough to counter Lillard in crunch time, though.
Portland will look to keep rolling Tuesday against the New York Knicks, while Los Angeles will turn its attention to a Wednesday meeting with the Orlando Magic.
