Damian Lillard’s last-minute heroics fueling imposing Trail Blazers

'There is no explaining it. Damian had it going, so we ran it through him,' said Portland coach Terry Stotts after Lillard's buzzer-beater gave league-best Portland a 111-109 win over Cleveland on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard hit eight three-pointers for Portland on Tuesday night. Don Ryan / AP

Associated Press

CLEVELAND, United States // The Portland Trail Blazers kept it real simple with the game on the line. Just get the ball to Damian Lillard, and get out of the way.

No need for any fancy calls when Lillard’s on the court.

The point guard made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, lifting Portland to a 119-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

“There is no explaining it,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “Damian had it going, so we ran it through him.”

Lillard had a career-high eight 3-pointers while scoring 36 points. The 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year also had a fadeaway jumper as time expired to give Portland a 111-109 overtime victory over Detroit on Sunday.

“That was cold-blooded,” Cleveland guard Dion Waiters said. “We knew Lillard was getting the ball. That was a big-time shot.”

Anderson Varejao’s tying basket for Cleveland with 7.1 seconds left prompted a Portland timeout. Lillard took the pass at mid-court, dribbled to the top of the key and buried the winning shot over Alonzo Gee from about 26 feet out.

“He’s more capable of dribble-driving by you and finishing,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “Their last game he drove by somebody and shot a pull-up. So you pick your poison.”

Lillard had enough time to drive to the basket, but he decided to shoot from beyond the arc.

“I didn’t want to get in too deep because they’ve got some giants in there,” Lillard said. “And Alonzo Gee is a great athlete, so I didn’t want to drive on him. I gave him a move to get him off balance, and I wanted to be ready when I froze him.”

Portland (22-4) have the best record in the NBA and are 11-0 against the Eastern Conference. The Blazers have won five straight and are 12-2 on the road.

Kyrie Irving’s bid for a tying 3-pointer from about 35 feet bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer. Irving and Waiters scored 25 points apiece for Cleveland.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 15 rebounds for Portland.

Lillard’s 3-pointer with 5:47 remaining gave Portland a 104-101 lead. Lillard then found Wesley Matthews for another 3, and Aldridge’s jumper pushed the lead to 109-101 with 4:16 to play.

Matthews made a 3-pointer and Aldridge scored to make it 114-104 with 2:15 remaining.

Irving then scored nine straight points for the Cavaliers, including a three-point play with 33.8 seconds left that cut the lead to 116-114. After Aldridge missed in the lane, the Cavaliers called timeout with 16.5 seconds remaining. Irving drove into the lane and found Varejao, who tied the game.

“That was an offensive shootout by both teams,” Stotts said. “They made a great comeback to tie the game, but we keep finding a way to win. Obviously, Damian was fantastic.”

OTHER TUESDAY RESULTS

Thunder 105, Nuggets 93

Kevin Durant scored 30 points, guard Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed their winning streak to seven with a victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Forward Serge Ibaka had 17 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, who have won 14 of 15.

The Thunder (20-4) are within a game of red-hot Portland (22-4) in the Northwest Division.

Center JJ Hickson had 20 points and 14 rebounds and guard Ty Lawson had 17 points and 13 assists for the Nuggets (14-10).

Lakers 96, Grizzlies 92

In game six of Kobe Bryant’s return from Achilles tendon surgery, Bryant matched his season high with 21 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers (12-13) split their four-game road trip, and they are 2-4 since Bryant’s return. Pau Gasol also scored 21 points with nine rebounds for Los Angeles and guard Nick Young had 18 points off the bench.

Zach Randolph had a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, plus five assists, but Memphis (10-14) lost for the fourth time in a row.

Bobcats 95, Kings 87

Kemba Walker sank four 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Bobcats (11-14) led by 18 in the first half but needed an 11-1 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull away for good after Sacramento came as close as two.

Center DeMarcus Cousins had a monster game for the Kings (7-16) with 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.

Newly acquired Sacramento forward Rudy Gay left the game in the third quarter with stiffness in his left knee. He finished with four points in 24 minutes.

Warriors 104, Pelicans 93

Stephen Curry propelled Golden State (14-12) past New Orleans (11-12) with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 12 assists. He also had three steals.

David Lee contributed 21 points, shooting 10-of-15 from the field, and 17 rebounds for the Warriors.

Ryan Anderson led the Pelicans with 21 points.