Damian Lillard went off for a season-high 50 points, but the Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t finish the job against the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday evening, crumbling down the stretch and falling 119-113 at the Moda Center.
Cleveland was one of the upstart teams in the East last season and have only gotten better with the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, who was jettisoned amidst a Utah Jazz tear down back in September. It couldn’t have worked out any better for the Cavs, as the move eastward hasn’t thrown Mitchell off his game the slightest.