CLEVELAND (AP) – Damian Lillard had 32 points and nine assists. Enes Kanter had 18 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to their highest point total of the season, a 141-105 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Lillard scored 16 points in the first quarter and 14 points in the third as Portland moved within one-half of the Mavericks and Lakers for fifth place in the West. The Trail Blazers are seventh and would be the top seed in the play-in tournament.
Carmelo Anthony added 16 points off the bench and Jusuf Nurkic had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. With six games remaining, Portland shot 57.6% from the field and went 5-1 on its most extended road trip of the second half of the season. Kevin Love had 18 points, and Dean Wade scored 16 for the Cavaliers, who lost their eighth in a row and are 1-11 since April 15. Cleveland was outscored by 45 points in the 26 minutes that Love was on the court. Anderson Varejao had one point and six rebounds in his first game with the Cavaliers since February 10, 2016. Varejao, who spent his first 11 1/2 seasons with the franchise, signed a 10-day contract Tuesday after not playing in the NBA in four years.
Cleveland went 0-5 on its homestand, losing 134-118 in overtime to Phoenix on Tuesday and matching its most points allowed this season against the Trail Blazers. Collin Sexton scored 15 points, and Cedi Osman had 14. At halftime, the Trail Blazers held a 67-57 advantage as Lillard scored 18 points in 19 minutes. Anthony had 10 points in the period, while Wade topped the Cavaliers with 11 points and didn’t miss a shot.
WELCOME BACK
The Trail Blazers will be permitted to host 1,998 fans at their remaining home games, which is 10% of the capacity of Moda Center. The announcement by the Oregon Health Authority was made one day after Lilliard criticized the state for keeping the arena closed to spectators, tweeting, “We gone be the only damn team in the whole league with no fans.” Coach Terry Stotts welcomed the news. “Fans do make a difference,” Stotts said. “It’s going to be nice to come back against the Lakers and see people in the stands.”
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: G Norman Powell (right knee patellar tendinopathy) missed his first game since joining Portland in a March 25 trade with Toronto. … Lillard continues to nurse a left foot contusion. … Anthony is 75 points away from tying Moses Malone for ninth place in NBA history with 27,409. Since signing with the Trail Blazers on November 19, 2019, Anthony has moved up from 19th place to 10th.
Cavaliers: C Isaiah Hartenstein returned after a five-game absence with a concussion. … G Darius Garland (left ankle sprain) missed his third straight game, and F Lamar Stevens (concussion) sat out his sixth in a row. … F Taurean Prince (left ankle surgery), F Larry Nance Jr. (right thumb fracture), G Matthew Dellavedova (neck strain), and F Dylan Windler (left knee surgery) will miss the rest of the season.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host the Lakers on Friday. Defending champion Los Angeles makes its only regular-season appearance in Portland. Cavaliers: Visit Dallas on Friday. The teams complete their home-and-home season series Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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