Damian Lillard scored 30 points, CJ McCollum added 26 and the Portland Trail Blazers led the entire second half en route to a 105-98 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.
Carmelo Anthony also played a key role in the victory with 18 points off the bench to help Portland (41-29) earn its fifth straight win and its ninth victory in 10 games.
Jordan Clarkson had another nice entry for his Sixth Man of the Year bid with 29 points to lead the Jazz, who struggled to a higher degree than usual in the absence of injured All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
The Jazz (50-20) saw their lead over the second-place Phoenix Suns (48-21) slip to 1 1/2 gam…
Keep on reading: Damian Lillard scores 30 as Trail Blazers down Jazz