Damian Lillard scored 44 points as the Portland Trail Blazers ended a seven-game losing streak and overcame the Golden State Warriors with a 123-117 win on Wednesday.
Portland overcame a 50-point display from Kevin Durant – his best in a Warriors jersey – to head into the All-Star break with a morale-boosting victory.
Lillard was backed by CJ McCollum (29 points) and Jusuf Nurkic, who finished with 17 points.
The win saw Portland improve to 32-26, vaulting them into sixth spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Warriors fell to 44-14 with the loss, leaving them one behind Houston at the top of the standings.
“I came out in a good rhythm,” Lillard said. “I thought we were really resilient tonight on both ends of the floor. We got a big, much-needed win.
“We needed this going into the break, to get some momentum going into the second half of the season.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, DeAndre Jordan scored a career-high 30 points as the Los Angeles Clippers sent the Boston Celtics spinning to a fourth defeat in five games with a 129-119 victory at the TD Garden.
Jordan produced an inspirational performance that included 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals to give his side a deserved road victory.
The win left Los Angeles firmly in the hunt in the Western Conference playoff race, taking them to 30-26.
