Trail Blazers Win Their Fifth Straight as New Jersey Loses Fifth in Row, 125-104

Clyde Drexler and Steve Johnson scored 28 points each Sunday night, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to their fifth consecutive NBA victory, 125-104, over the New Jersey Nets, who lost their fifth straight game.

Jerome Kersey, who scored 21 points in the first half, finished with a season-high 27 for the Trail Blazers. Kersey scored 12 in the last 6 1/2 minutes of the first half as Portland turned a 42-34 deficit into a 61-54 halftime lead with a 27-12 streak.

Drexler then scored 18 points in the third period, including 10 of Portland’s first 11 of the second half, as the Trail Blazers extended their margin to 72-58 with 6:49 left.

The Nets closed the gap to 91-80 at the end of the third quarter, but Portland scored the first 10 points of the fourth period, with Terry Porter getting six of them, for a 101-80 advantage with 9:32 remaining. New Jersey didn’t get close again.

Rookie Dallas Comegys scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the first half for the Nets, but Buck Williams, New Jersey’s leading scorer with 18.7 points per game, was held to 11 before fouling out.