Lillard takes over as Blazers stop Magic

Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard

FILE — Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers takes a shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth quarter at Moda Center on January 25, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Abbie Parr/Getty Images/AFP

Damian Lillard scored 18 of his 36 points in the third quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers took charge after halftime to earn a 106-97 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic.

Carmelo Anthony had 23 points for Portland, moving past Oscar Robertson (26,710 points) and into 12th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points as the Trail Blazers returned home following a 3-3 road trip on which they were extremely short-handed.

Nikola Vucevic amassed 27 points and 15 rebounds and Terrence Ross added 22 for the Magic, who dropped the opener of a four-game road trip and are 1-6 in their last seven contests.

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