Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center on February 08, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. Alika Jenner/Getty Images/AFP
Damian Lillard had 33 points as part of a triple-double and the Portland Trail Blazers spoiled Klay Thompson’s birthday with a 125-122 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Jordan Poole had a game-high 38 points for the Warriors, including a 3-pointer that put the visitors up 114-110 with 5:48 to go.
Golden State didn’t score again until a Poole interior hoop with 46.0 seconds left, a stretch during which the Trail Blazers scored 11 straight points to take command with a seven-point lead.
Jerami Grant had seven of the 11 points, including a three-point play that broke a 114-all tie with 4:31 to go and give Portland the lead for good.
Lillard used a 16-for-16 night at the free-throw line to account for almost half his team-high point total. He made just one of his seven 3-point attempts as the Trail Blazers were able to overcome a 63-24 disadvantage in points from beyond the arc.
Damian Lillard. Triple-double ⌚️
33 PTS | 10 REB | 11 AST | 59.5 FPTS
Lead the @trailblazers to a W. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/zFnaICA8VC
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) February 9, 2023
Portland’s big edge came at the foul line, where the hosts went 31-for-32, while the Warriors were just 9-for-10.
Lillard complemented his scoring with a game-high 11 assists and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds, giving him just the second triple-double of his career. His other came in January of 2020 against the Houston Rockets.
Shaedon Sharpe added 13 points, Anfernee Simons 11, and Jabari Walker and Drew Eubanks 10 for Portland, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Poole also found time for a team-high seven assists and shot 7-for-12 on 3-pointers for the Warriors, who went 21-for-49 as a team in the absence of NBA 3-point king Stephen Curry, who remains out with a knee injury.
Thompson celebrated his 33rd birthday with 31 points. Andrew Wiggins and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in with 18 points apiece for Golden State, which saw a two-game winning streak come to an end. Wiggins completed a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds.