NBA News Wire

Trail Blazers 101, Cavaliers 82

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Trail Blazers rolled to a 101-82 victory over the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at the Moda Center.

Guard Damian Lillard produced a game-high 27 points plus seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers (2-1). Portland also got 21 points and six rebounds from guard Wesley Matthews. Center Robin Lopez added 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go with six rebounds.

Forward Kevin Love collected 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers (1-2), but he had far too little help. Forward LeBron James finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while guard Kyrie Irving contributed only nine points and five assists on a 3-for-17 shooting night.

After making their first 10 shots, the Cavaliers struggled from the field the rest of the game, finishing at 36.5 percent (31-for-85). The Blazers wound up at 49.3 percent (37-for-75).

Portland started the second half with a 12-4 run to extend a five-point halftime lead to 67-54. The Cavaliers whittled the margin to 76-69 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers kept up the pressure, and when they stoked their advantage to 92-74 with 3:55 to play, the issue was decided.

The Cavs came out smoking, sinking their first 10 shots from the field — including 5-for-5 from 3-point range — to take a 27-20 lead. The Blazers responded with a 9-0 run to jump in front. Cleveland took a 34-31 advantage into the second quarter.

With Lillard and Lopez leading the way, Portland rallied to go ahead 55-50 at halftime. Lillard had 15 points, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range, while Lopez had 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

After its initial flawless run of shooting, Cleveland made just nine of its last 34 shots before the break and wound up at 43.2 from the field by halftime. Portland, meanwhile, shot at a 52.5 percent clip (21-for-40) and ruled the boards 26-19 through intermission.

The Blazers ended up with a 48-41 rebounding edge.

NOTES: Portland native F Kevin Love, making his first trip home as a member of the Cavaliers, got tickets from each of his teammates for tonight’s game. “Nobody was allowed to say no,” F LeBron James said with a laugh. … Long-time European coach David Blatt, a Boston native in his first season coaching the Cavaliers, on transitioning to the NBA: “I feel comfortable. One thing I’m doing real well with is the language. I’ve been on top of that.” … Portland coach Terry Stotts, asked what the Cavaliers do differently on offense than other NBA teams: “They do the same things. They just do it a little bit better than a lot of teams.” … The Blazers, one of the best offensive teams in the NBA last season, began the night shooting 42 percent from the field. “We need more movement, both with the ball and off the ball,” Stotts said.