Lillard, McCollum lead Blazers to Game 3 victory over Clippers
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was snubbed of a 2016 All-Star selection, and on Saturday night, he proved once again why that was a mistake.
Alongside his backcourt counterpart, 2016 Most Improved Player C.J. McCollum, the dynamic duo combined for 59 points on 21-for-42 from the field to lead the Blazers to a critical 96-88 Game 3 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The win prevented the Blazers from falling to a steep 3-0 series deficit, and on Monday, they have a chance to tie the series at two games apiece.
After losing four of their five starters from last season, the Blazers weren't expected to be in the postseason, let alone winning a knock-down, drag-out showdown with the high-octane Clippers.
In addition to the stellar performances from Lillard and McCollum, Mason Plumlee grabbed 21 rebounds (playoff-high this year) to go along with six points.
For the Clippers, Chris Paul put up 26 points and nine assists, but didn't have much help from the rest of the big three offensively, as Blake Griffin scored just 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting and DeAndre Jordan had just 11 points on seven shots (3-of-10 from the free throw line).
The Blazers will host the Clippers for Game 4 Monday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
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