National Basketball Association
Portland 112, Minnesota 100
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 25, 2017
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #28 Kevin Scott, #44 Brett Nansel, #19 James Capers
Attendance: 19580

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers' lead was so large through most of their 112-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night, CJ McCollum saw only 29 minutes of action.

But the fourth-year guard made the most of his opportunities, bombing in 32 points on only 13 shots to lead the Trail Blazers (34-38) to their 10th win in their last 13 outings.

"I told CJ they robbed him of another 40-point game tonight," said backcourt mate Damian Lillard, who also played 29 minutes. "But it was good to get that rest."

McCollum enjoyed his best shooting game of the season, knocking down 11 of 13 shots from the field -- including 4 for 5 on 3-point attempts -- and 4 for 4 from the free throw line.

"I got some good looks early," he said. "I just felt good tonight. I had a little bounce in my step. Guys did a good job setting screens and getting me open. I tried to be aggressive and efficient."

McCollum, Portland coach Terry Stotts said, "was very impressive. He really had it going. scored in a variety of ways -- getting to the rim, on jump shots. His handle was exceptional. He had an outstanding game."

Lillard contributed 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter as Portland shot a season-high 62.5 from the field, making 45 of 72 attempts. The Blazers fired at a 50 percent clip (11 for 22) from 3-point range.

"We executed with good pace," Lillard said. "We sprinted into screens. We came in knowing their bigs would stay back (on pick-and-rolls) and we would have open jumpers. Those are high-percentage shots."

Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points and Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio added 16 apiece for the Timberwolves (28-44), who lost their fifth straight game.

"We got behind early," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It's a hard hole to dig out of. we struggled in the second quarter. Give a team like (the Blazers) confidence early, they're hard to stop."

Portland led 27-21 after one quarter, with McCollum (eight points) and Lillard (seven) doing most of the damage. McCollum scored 10 points in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter, upping the advantage to 41-29.

The Timberwolves used a 12-3 tear to get to within 44-41. Portland came back with a 12-1 spurt to go on top 56-42. McCollum finished the half with 21 points as the Blazers took a 60-46 edge into intermission.

The Blazers increased the lead to 94-72 late in the third quarter. Minnesota never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

"When you have two guards like (Lillard and McCollum) ... they really play well together," Thibodeau said. "They move the ball, but it's the shooting that puts so much pressure on you. It doesn't take them much to get going. If you make a body-position mistake, they're going to make you pay for it. It's a very dynamic team offensively."

NOTES: Portland shot .625 for the game, its best percentage since shooting 64.1 against Toronto in March 2003. ... The Blazers shot 66.1 from the field through three quarters, including 52.1 (9 for 17) from 3-point range. At one point midway through the final period, they were shooting 67.2 (43 for 64). ... The Blazers and Timberwolves play each other three times over the next 12 days. The teams meet again on April 3 in Minneapolis and on April 6 in Portland. "We look at it as a mini-playoff series," Portland G Allen Crabbe said. Said Blazers coach Terry Stotts: "There will be a high degree of familiarity between the teams, but it's not going to be like a playoff series. In the playoffs, you focus in on one team. We will have games in between. But it's unique. I don't know if we've ever played a team three times in 12 days" in the regular season. ... In the teams' previous meeting, a 105-99 Portland win at Minnesota on Jan. 1, Towns had his second-lowest scoring total of the season, managing 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting. ... Portland G Damian Lillard has scored at least 20 points in 11 consecutive games, the second-longest streak of his career. ... Portland G CJ McCollum has topped the 30-point barrier 14 times this season. ... Minnesota was playing the second of back-to-back games after falling 120-109 in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center Friday night.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Portland
Andrew Wiggins 20 Scoring C.J. McCollum 32
Tyus Jones 4 Assists Damian Lillard 8
Gorgui Dieng 7 Rebounds Jusuf Nurkic 9
Gorgui Dieng 7 Free Throws Made C.J. McCollum 6
Gorgui Dieng 4 Steals Al-Farouq Aminu 2
Gorgui Dieng 2 Blocks Allen Crabbe 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 100 48.7 2-10 24-32 15 27 3 10 8
Portland 112 63.4 11-22 11-17 24 35 3 5 15
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .424 after a win and .513 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .310 after a win and .442 after a loss.