PORTLAND — Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, Damian Lillard had 23 points and 10 assists and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Robert Covington had a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who got off to a sluggish start but led by as many as 19 points in the final quarter.
Portland finished with a franchise-record 24 3-pointers, led by Lillard and Anthony with six apiece.
LaMelo Ball had 30 points for the Hornets, who have not won in Portland since March 2008. The Blazers are 25-6 against Charlotte in Portland.
Portland had fallen into sixth place in the Western Conference, a half-game back of San Antonio. But the Blazers were hoping a quick three-game homestand before the All-Star break puts them back on track.
The Hornets had just nine players available for the game, with top scorer Gordon Hayward (hand contusion) and Cody Zeller (hip contusion) both unavailable. Devonte Graham missed his sixth straight game with left knee soreness.
Charlotte, playing the second of a back-to-back, was coming off a 127-126 victory at Sacramento the night before. P.J. Washington scored a career-high 42 points.
The Hornets jumped out to a 26-17 lead in the opening quarter, led by Ball with eight points, and pushed the lead to as many as 11.
Portland chipped away, pulling into a 40-all tie on Anthony’s dunk. He followed that with a basket and a free throw that put the Blazers in front.
The two sides wrestled for the lead the rest of the opening half, going into the break knotted at 59. Covington led all scorers with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Gary Trent Jr.’s 3-pointer put the Blazers in front 68-61 early in the second half. Portland stretched it to 92-81 on Lillard’s 3 pointer.
Lillard went into the game averaging 29.8 points and eight rebounds. He ranks third in the league for scoring, behind Washington’s Bradley Beal and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.
TIP INS
Hornets: Charlotte’s losing streak in Portland is now at 13 games. … It was the fifth game of a six-game road trip for the Hornets.
Trail Blazers: Portland was coming off a six-game road trip, wrapping it up with a 2-4 record. … The Blazers have swept the season series with the Hornets for the past three seasons.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday before the All-Star break.
Trail Blazers: Play the Golden State Warriors in the first of a back-to-back on Wednesday night.
