Recap: Blazers Sweat It Out, Finish Off Cavs 123-110

It looked like a cupcake matchup for the Blazers, but the Cavaliers gave Portland everything they could handle Monday night. Don’t let the 123-110 final fool you: The Cavs gave Blazer fans a scare in the fourth quarter. Here are a few basics from the game.

• An awesome first half... The Blazers hit 11 of 13 three-pointers in the first half, leaping out to a 71-48 halftime lead. Everything seemed to go right for the Blazers, who scored the first 14 points of the game over the initial five-minute span.
• ... gives way to a brutal second half. The Blazers came out of the locker room with no defensive energy, and their magical shooting vanished. Cleveland slowly crawled back into the game, shot by shot, closing to within one possession early in the fourth quarter.
• But the usual suspects took care of business. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum led the way, with strong support from Jusuf Nurkic. The guards hit key three-pointers to complete a late 14-0 fourth quarter run to finally finish off the Cavs.
• Not so happy homecoming for Rodney. Hood returned to the city that recently traded him to Portland, and received a less-than-stellar reaction from the crowd. His results matched the reaction: 1-4 shooting for 2 points. And now everyone moves on.

What’s Next

A Wednesday date with the Celtics in Boston.