Blazers crush OKC 136-119 behind big nights from Melo & Dame

Carmelo Anthony exited to chants of “MEL-O! MEL-O!” early in the fourth quarter, as Portland showed their collective gratitude for the performance of the future Hall of Famer on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Melo finished with 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting in 29 minutes of action, leading the Blazers to a thrashing of Chris Paul and Oklahoma City  136-119. Portland has won two straight as they improve to 7-12 on the year and host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

Melo also had 4 rebounds and 2 assists on the night.

Damian Lillard got hot in the third quarter on his way to an impressive 27-point night, a game-high, to go with 5 assists and 5 rebounds.  Dame went 7-15 from the floor and 5-9 from deep.

CJ McCollum also got rolling in the second half to finish with 22 points, while Hassan Whiteside was effective all night long, having a double-double by halftime, and finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The Blazers were a perfect 24-for-24 from the free throw line.  They eclipsed the 40-pt mark in a quarter twice in the game, scoring 42 in the first period and 41 in the third.  Portland had a lead as large as 35 points in the second half.