Lillard's Trail Blazers Cool Off Grizzlies, Pistons End Losing Skid

Los Angeles, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2021 ) :Damian Lillard scored 17 of his 32 points in the first quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped the Memphis Grizzlies five-game winning streak with a 105-100 win on Sunday.

The Trail Blazers won for the second consecutive game after ending a seven-game losing skid with a win over Charlotte on Friday.

Norman Powell finished with 28 points as Portland improved to 13-18 on the season in front of a crowd of 18,400 at the FedExForum.

Dillon Brooks scored a career-high 37 points for Memphis. The Grizzlies lost for the second time in their last 12 games.

Portland took the lead, 94-91, on a four-point play by Lillard with just over four minutes left and regained the lead 97-95 on a three-point basket by Powell three minutes later.

The Grizzlies had a chance to tie it with five seconds to go, but Desmond Bane's long shot hit the rim and bounced harmlessly away.

Elsewhere, Saddiq Bey scored 26 points and the Detroit Pistons ended their franchise record-tying 14-game losing streak with a 100-90 victory over the Miami Heat.

Hamidou Diallo finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for Detroit, which recorded its first victory since a 97-89 decision over Indiana on November 17.

Max Strus led the Heat with 24 points off the bench. Kyle Lowry tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Dewayne Dedmon had 11 points for Miami, which had won four of its last five games.