DAMIAN LILLARD scored 25 points before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers took advantage of the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers for a 105-90 victory Saturday night.

“I thought I shot the ball better. Not as good as I would have liked to, with some of the opportunities I got,” Lillard said. “But I shot the ball better and we got another win, so I feel good about it.”

Jusuf Nurkic added 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Blazers, who led by as many as 34 points despite playing the second of a back-to-back.

Former Blazer Carmelo Anthony had 12 points off the bench for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James because of an abdominal strain.

Leading scorer Anthony Davis was questionable for the Lakers going into the game with a thumb strain. He started but played just seven minutes before leaving with a stomach illness. Coach Frank Vogel said after the game that Davis was throwing up before the game, but thought he could play.

Russell Westbrook, who was averaging 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists, shot 1 for 13 and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Dwight Howard said there were no excuses for the loss.

“Every possession, every minute on the floor has to matter,” he said.

The Blazers were coming off a 110-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers the night before that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Lillard was averaging just 17.8 points to open the season, well off his average from last season. He had been shooting just 21.7 percent from 3-point range.

But with his wife out of town, he wasn’t as focused on the night’s game as much as he usually is.

“My son woke up and and said, ‘I want macaroni and cheese,’ just random stuff in the morning,” he said. “So I’m just doing random stuff, where I’m not even thinking about the game.”

Lillard hit a 3-pointer to open the game and he made two of his first three attempts. He also hit a 3-pointer for Portland’s first points in the second half, and finished with six 3s on 14 attempts.

Anfernee Simons’ follow shot capped a 13-0 run that put Portland up 25-10 early and the rout was on. The Blazers outscored Los Angeles 36-14 in the first quarter.(SD-Agencies)