NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Portland Trail Blazers blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers

This was the Blazers' third game in four nights and the second one of a back-to-back, coming straight off a loss against the reigning NBA champions Warriors the previous night. However, what transpired at the Moda Center against the visiting Sixers was nothing short of sheer will and the conviction to win on any given night despite the circumstances or schedule.

The Trail Blazers routed a Joel Embiid-less Philly side from tip-off to the final buzzer and pulled out an imposing 129-95 blowout victory from the bag. Yes, the Sixers missed their best player (left knee soreness) on the court, but the way Portland bested them has exposed numerous quirks in the Philly way of basketball when the Cameroonian is not available.

The win was Portland's sixth in the last ten games, as they hop back up to the West's seventh spot with a 21-16 (0.568) record, improving to a majestic 14-6 at home. The Sixers, on the other hand, have now lost five of their last ten matchups, slipping to 3.5 games behind the East-leading Bucks. Philly's win-loss record currently stands at 23-14 (0.622) at the fourth spot out East.

Let's draw out some key takeaways from this C.J. McCollum-led Blazers' lofty win over the Embiid-less Sixers.

#1 The recently-slumping CJ McCollum dropped a game-high 35 points

McCollum is a career 40 percent shooter from the three-point line

Coming into this one, CJ was shooting a meagre 28 percent from distance in the month of December. But for a shooter like McCollum, it's just buckets he was supposed to make and no deadly slump,

“I felt like I was missing shots. I felt like I was, you know, getting some of the same looks that I’ve been getting my entire life and I wasn’t making them,” McCollum said. "I've been getting some of the same looks I've been getting my entire life, and I wasn't making them."

Nothing actually changed for Portland's starting shooting guard on Monday except that the ball was just falling through.

In just 28 minutes of work, he finished with a game-high total of 35 points, shooting a familiar 13-of-18 from the field, and making four of his seven three-point attempts on the night.

This was the sixth instance when CJ had recorded a 30+ score and would have likely crossed 40 points had he played in the final quarter.

#2 The Philadelphia 76ers went through a nightmarish shooting night

Ben Simmons is yet to make a three-pointer in an NBA game.

The Sixers put in place a horrific first half on the road against the Blazers, shooting 3-of-16 beyond the arc with Jimmy Butler making just 1-of-8 from the field. Portland built its largest half-time lead with a 70-41 cushion, riding on McCollum's 26 points and 10-of-14 conversion from the field.

By the time the final buzzer was heard, the visitors had put together an incredibly dismal night on the shooting front. The Sixers went a subpar 34-of-96 (35.4 percent) from the field and to make matters worse, an even wretched 8-of-43 (18.6 percent) from beyond the arc.

Veteran shooter JJ Redick could make only a couple from distance after having attempted seven threes for the game, second worse to Furkan Korkmaz who shot 2-of-9 from deep.

While Portland shot a blazing 59% from the field and an even better 54.5% from long range, the question was never about who will win, but by how much could Portland romp Philly.

#3 Four of the Blazers' starters scored in double digits

Portland's total rebounding is the best in the league currently

Except for Evan Turner (who shot 4-of-6 and contributed 8 points), all the rest of the starters ended up scoring in double figures, led by CJ's valiant 35-point effort.

Even though Lillard had an off night attempting just 10 shots throughout the game, he chipped in 15 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists. Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu combined for 30 points, as their team outrebounded the Sixers 59-36.

The Blazers piled up 28 assists on the night, restricting their opponents to under 100 points at the same time. Even though Portland's defensive rating is not even in the top 15, their effort was balanced on both ends of the floor, something coach Terry Stotts took note of.

"We didn't let the fact that we were playing good offence take away from our defence. I thought the effort was consistent throughout," Stotts said.