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C.J. McCollum and Mason Plumlee teamed up to clinch the Blazers 104-85 win over the New York Knicks mid-way through the third quarter. Plumlee's bullet pass to McCollum for the easy lay-up gave the Blazers a nine-point lead and the Knicks would never challenge again.
McCollum was hot in the third quarter, scoring 13 points on 6-8 shooting. At one point he hit four consecutive field goals for Portland. McCollum offensive arsenal was on full display as he scored on a variety of drives, mid-range stepbacks and deep jump shots.
Knicks announcers' Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Mike Breen were effusive in their praise of the Blazers' starting shooting guard. McCollum finished with 25 points in the game.
Damian Lillard led all scorers tonight with 30 points. Lillard has now scored 30 or more points in eight of the last nine games.
The Blazers bench was also pivotal tonight, outscoring the Knicks bench 37-25. Meyers Leonard led the way with 11 points on three 3-pointers and 14 rebounds:
Portland is now 3-0 on at the mid-way point of a six-game road trip. They play tomorrow in Boston at 4:30 Pacific Time.