Blazers go up 2-0 against the Thunder with 114-94 win
The Associated Press - April 17, 2019 12:12 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, center, shoots over Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Tuesday in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — CJ McCollum likes when games get gritty.
The guard scored 33 points as the Portland Trail Blazers took a 2-0 lead in their playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 114-94 victory on Tuesday night.
Tense at times with plenty of jawing back-and-forth between the teams, the series now heads to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Friday.
“I love it, that’s what I live for,” said McCollum, who missed 10 games late in the regular season because of a knee injury. “Just like playing on the playground.”
Damian Lillard added 29 points for the third-seeded Blazers, who opened a playoff series with two wins for the first time since the 2014 playoffs, when they beat Houston in six games.
Russell Westbrook, who had his ninth career postseason triple-double in Oklahoma City’s Game 1 loss, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. He was pulled with 3:31 with most of his fellow starters after Portland built a 112-91 lead.
