By Canadian Press

McCollum, Lillard lead Blazers past Raptors 122-117

Mar 28, 2021 | 8:05 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — CJ McCollum scored seven of his 23 points in the final two minutes and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Toronto Raptors 122-117 on Sunday night.

Damian Lillard had 22 points and 11 assists for the Blazers, who took command in the third quarter .

Pascal Siakam finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, and Fred VanVleet added 20 points and eight assists for Toronto, which lost for the 11th time in 12 games.

The game was played three days after the trade deadline move in which the Raptors sent Norman Powell to the Blazers for Gary Trent Jr., and Rodney Hood.

Lillard, who sat out Friday night’s win at Orlando with a left knee contusion, joined Powell in Portland’s three-guard starting lineup.

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Derrick Jones Jr., bumped from the lineup, scored Portland’s final seven points of the first half, but Hood’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Toronto a 74-68 halftime edge.

The Raptors led 82-75 when Siakam scored on a short jumper with 6:27 left in the third quarter. But Toronto was held scoreless for nearly six minutes, shooting 1 for 12 the rest of the period.

A steal and a dunk by Powell put the Blazers ahead 83-82, and Lillard scored seven points in a 16-2 run that closed the third quarter with Portland leading 91-84.

VanVleet led a late rally that got the Raptors within one with 2:28 left, but McCollum answered with a jumper, a runner and a three-point play.

TIP-INS

Blazers: Powell scored 13 points in his second Portland start. … F Nassir Little missed the game with an injured thumb.

Raptors: G Kyle Lowry was out with a sore right foot. … F DeAndre Bembry and G Paul Watson Jr. missed a second game due to the COVID protocol.

UP NEXT

Blazers: Play at Detroit on Wednesday night.

Raptors: Play at Detroit on Monday night.

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https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Dick Scanlon, The Associated Press