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Portland Trail Blazers · On a night where star guard Damian Lillard crossed 18,000 points in his career, the Portland Trail Blazers celebrated with a defensive clinic. Lillard himself was at the center of the action, picking up a steal off a fumbled Kevin Porter Jr.-Bruno Fernando exchange before finishing with a behind-the-back dish to Keon Johnson for the slam. Justise Winslow also bests Porter Jr., taking a bad pass the length of the floor for an easy layup before doing the same thing to Jabari Smith Jr., turning defense into offense with an assist on the other end. Drew Eubanks turns aside Alperen Şengün with one of Portland’s four blocks, while Houston rookie Tari Eason is rejected on two occasions by Jusuf Nurkić and fellow first-year player Shaedon Sharpe. The Blazers also had eight steals and forced 15 turnovers all while causing the Houston Rockets to shoot an abysmal 3-for-29 from deep in the 107-95 triumph on December 17, 2022. · State of Mint