Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard scored 71 points against Rockets. His ...

Sunday night was indeed Dame Time.

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard had a night to remember by scoring 71 points during a 131-114 victory against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

The mark set franchise and career highs, while helping the Blazers snap a two-game losing streak and notch their first win since Feb. 13. Lillard had twice previously scored 61 points, both times coming in 2020.

"I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good," Lillard said after the game. "But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?"

Here is Lillard's remarkable performance broken down by key numbers:

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71 points

Lillard finished the game 22 of 38 from the floor. His output tied Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell for the most points by an NBA player this season. Mitchell's big night came in an overtime win for the Cavaliers against the Bulls on Jan. 2. Lillard and Mitchell are tied with Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for eighth-most points in league history.

The last time anyone scored more than 71 points in a game was 2006 when Lakers legend Kobe Bryant poured in 81 against the Toronto Raptors.

50 points

Sunday marked the 15th time in Lillard's career that he scored 50 or more points. That's the sixth-most in NBA history.

41 first-half points

Lillard went into halftime with 41 points, including eight 3-pointers. That was a career-high in one half and the most in a half by any player this season.

39 minutes

Of the 13 70-point games in the NBA's history, Lillard's came in the fewest minutes. Kobe Bryant's 81-point game in 2006 came in 42 minutes.

32 years old

Lillard is the oldest player in NBA history to surpass the 70-point threshold. David Robinson, who was 28 at the time of his 71-point game in 1994, previously held this record.

Lillard is in his 11th season in the league and has spent his entire career with the Trail Blazers.

14 of 14 from free throw line

Lillard was perfect from the line. Lillard is a career 89% free throw shooter and has made 92% of his attempts this year, a percentage that would be the second-best of his career.

13 3-pointers

By making 13 of his 22 3-point attempts, Lillard came up one triple short of the NBA record, which was set by the Warriors' Klay Thompson in 2018. Steph Curry (2016) and Zach LaVine (2019) also have games with 13 3-pointers made.

8 players with 70 or more points

Lillard joins an exclusive club that includes Mitchell (2023), Devin Booker (2017), Kobe Bryant (2006), David Robinson (1994), David Thompson (1978), Wilt Chamberlain (1963, 1961 and four times in 1962) and Elgin Baylor (1960).

1 drug test

The league rewarded Lillard's performance by giving him a drug test shortly after the game. Talk about a buzzkill.

"I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to floor," Lillard said after the game, gesturing from above his head and then dropping his hand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lillard leads Portland comeback past Miami, 102-95

AP

MIAMI (AP) — The Trail Blazers and Heat began the night with identical records of 13-13, so a close game was to be expected.

For Damian Lillard to take over down the stretch was also no surprise.

The two-time All-Star guard scored seven of his 18 points in the final 3:16, and the Trail Blazers overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to break their five-game losing streak, beating Miami 102-95 on Wednesday night.

Lillard, who came into the game averaging 26.6 points, had only one field goal in the first 31 minutes because the Heat ganged up on him defensively.

"They were trying to show me a lot of attention, so I was just trying to make the right plays," he said. "But down the stretch I knew I would have to get aggressive."

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Lillard converted a three-point play to put the Trail Blazers ahead to stay, 98-95, and sank two free throws on their next possession for a five-point lead.

"You almost hate seeing him have a pedestrian box score stat line going into the fourth quarter," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You know he's not going to sit back and not put his fingerprints on the game going down the stretch."

CJ McCollum scored 28 points for the Trail Blazers, who climbed back above .500 and improved to 7-5 on the road.

"That was a game we needed to win coming off five losses in a row," McCollum said. "We had to do whatever it takes to come away with a win."

The Heat dropped to 5-7 at home.

Miami reserve Wayne Ellington sank seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 24 points. Dion Waiters added 17 points for the Heat, who were hurt by three missed free throws down the stretch.

Portland scored the final seven points, shutting out the Heat over the final 2:46. Miami missed its final four shots.

"These are tough to swallow," Ellington said. "We played about 43 minutes of Miami Heat basketball. We've got to get better at finishing."

The Trail Blazers trailed 70-54 early in the second half, and 79-70 to start the fourth quarter.

"It wasn't a game where we came out and made every shot and everything went well," Lillard said. "We had to go get it. That's usually how it is when you're trying to get things going back in the right direction, so we worked for it."

The Trail Blazers won for the third time when trailing to start the final period.

"You have to credit Portland," Spoelstra said. "That's not their first rodeo in a close game on the road."

LIMITED ROTATIONS

Both teams were short-handed. Heat forward Justise Winslow left the game in the first half with a left knee strain and did not return, and guard Tyler Johnson sat out because of a migraine.

Miami was also without center Hassan Whiteside for a seventh consecutive games because of a bone bruise in his left knee.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who were without Jusuf Nurkic and Meyers Leonard.

CLAMPDOWN

Ellington went 5 for 5 from 3-point range in the first quarter, helping Miami to a 33-21 lead. Portland limited him to three points in the second half.

"When you make some shots in the first half, they're going to stick to you more in the second half," he said.

Miami scored 33 points in the first quarter but only 35 in the second half.

TIP-INS

Miami's Kelly Olynyk had a slight edge in the matchup of former Gonzaga centers. He had 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, and Portland's Zach Collins had nine points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.

INJURY REPORT

Trail Blazers: C Nurkic (sprained right ankle) missed his third game in a row. ... F/C Leonard (illness) also sat out. ... F Maurice Harkless (bruised left quad) returned after missing two games but didn't score in nine minutes.

Heat: Winslow said he didn't think his injury was serious. ... Spoelstra said Whiteside is working out and feeling better, but he's not ready to return to practice.

UP NEXT

Miami: The Heat play at Charlotte on Friday night. Miami beat the Hornets earlier this week.

Portland: The Trail Blazers continue a five-game trip when they play Friday night at Orlando.

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Trail Blazers preparing to let it fly against the Warriors

Daniel Uthman

USA TODAY Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. – When an NBA team is 88 games into its season and the travel and practice schedule suddenly is at the mercy of the most recent game’s score, it can be nice when a drill doubles as a competitive challenge among friends.

That’s why the Portland Trail Blazers appreciate a drill they call “100 threes.”

Each player, although not all at once, is fed the ball to take 100 three-point shots from locations all around the arc. The player who makes the most is the champion, but scores are kept for everyone who participates.

2016 NBA playoffs preview: Warriors vs. Blazers

“Nobody wants to be at the bottom of that list,” said Blazers guard Damian Lillard. “You’ve got guys who you guys might not think is a great shooter hitting 65, 70 threes out of 100. It takes a lot; you put a lot of time being able to make those shots.”

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No team makes more than the Blazers’ next Playoff opponent, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who host Portland in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), set an NBA record with 1,077 made three-pointers this season. They are the first team to make more than 1,000 threes in a season and did it with the second-best percentage (41.6) in league history.

The Blazers like the three-point shot, too, and not just because of the drill. The fact they made 10 more than the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in Game 6 of their first round series was a big reason the Blazers were able to build and maintain their biggest lead late in what turned out to be the series clincher.

They also like to shoot them against Golden State – or at least welcome the need to. They made a season-high 19 in a loss at Golden State on March 11 and sank 17 in a win Feb. 19 in Portland.

“I believe in the percentages of the three-point shot,” said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. “If a guy is a 35% shooter, it’s going to work its way through. As long as they’re good shots and open shots and we shoot them with confidence, it’s going to work itself out. That’s part of who we are. We’ve got to take them and believe that you’re going to make them.”

Portland made 33.7% of its three-point attempts against the Clippers, but shot 36.1% in their wins and 23.2% in their losses.

Stephen Curry optimistic he'll return earlier than expected

Not surprisingly, three-point shooting also factored into the Blazers’ matchups with the Warriors this season.

Portland allowed a season-high in three-pointers (18) and points in a 136-111 loss at Golden State on April 3. The Blazers’ single-game season high in points also came against the Warriors, in a 137-105 win on Feb. 19. That game was by far the Warriors’ largest losing margin in a regular season that saw them set an NBA record for wins with 73 and just nine losses. “That's hard to forget,” said Blazers guard Gerald Henderson. “That was one of the highlights of our year there.”

But Blazers center Mason Plumlee pointed out the game was a regular-season matchup, and came right after the All-Star Game, one that featured three Warriors players. “The regular season is too different, two different animals,” he said. “You can’t put any stock in that.”

Golden State won the three other regular-season meetings, with the average score in their four matchups at 124-117. As is the case for most Warriors opponents, those totals stand out on the Blazers’ ledger. Portland scored 13 fewer points per game against the rest of its regular-season competition and allowed 20 fewer.

Henderson, for his part, expects more defense from both teams and fewer transition opportunities than seen in their season-high outbursts of February and April. “You can't expect to win giving up that many points,” he said.

But many Blazers, including their coach, know that the Warriors put together quick, double-digit scoring spurts all the time. The key for the Blazers may be remaining confident that they can, too. All those “100 threes” drills do serve a purpose.

“They’re going to make shots,” Lillard said. “We can’t get discouraged by that, but every possession matters when you play a team like that.”

McCollum helps Trail Blazers rout Hornets 127-96

AP

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Almost everything went right for the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Jusuf Nurkic fell just short of a triple-double while resting for much of the fourth quarter of Portland's 127-96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

The 7-foot Nurkic had 11 points, 11 rebounds and tied career highs with eight assists and six blocks. While star guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard stayed on the bench for the final period, coach Terry Stotts left Nurkic in for a couple of minutes.

When he remained stuck on eight assists, Nurkic was subbed out.

"If it's not happening right away I'm not going to chase it," he said.

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Stotts said he didn't want to throw off the second unit too much down the stretch.

"I told him I'd give him two minutes," Stotts joked.

McCollum had 30 points, including five 3-pointers, and Lillard scored 20 before taking the final period off. Lillard had a career-high four blocked shots and the Blazers finished with a season-high 16, one short of the franchise record.

Portland has now won four straight and six of seven overall. It improved to 17-7 at home, tied for best in the Western Conference.

The victory also extended the Blazers' winning streak over the Hornets in Portland to 11 straight games. Charlotte hasn't won in Portland since 2008.

Kemba Walker had 18 points for the Hornets, who fell to 5-14 on the road this season in the fourth of a five-game trip.

"We've got to try to not let this thing keep going in the wrong direction," Walker said. "We've got to stick together and as best as we can we've got to stay positive."

Portland also got another solid performance from its reserves. Seth Curry's 3-pointer extended Portland's lead to 50-36. Jake Layman's alley-oop dunk from Lillard put the Blazers up 61-42.

Portland's backups have accounted for at least 50 points in six games this season, all Blazers wins. They had 48 points against the Hornets, but got extra work because the starters were rested.

The Blazers led 70-49 at the break and extended the lead to as many as 35 points in the third quarter.

"We just didn't compete tonight defensively. Overall we just did not compete," Hornets coach James Borrego said. "Too soft on the ball, too soft on the interior. They did whatever they wanted to us offensively."

The Blazers were without forward Maurice Harkless for the second straight game because of left knee soreness. There was no word on how long he'll be out.

On a tear lately, Nurkic averaged 21.4 points and 11.4 rebounds over the previous eight games. On Friday he became just the third NBA player with at least 11 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks in fewer than 30 minutes.

"The big fella's been awesome," McCollum said. "He's playing extremely well, he's confident. He's finishing around the basket. But what I like most about him is that he's being aggressive on both ends. Defensively he's protecting the rim for us and being selfish on the offensive end and distributing the ball."

HEADING OUT

It was the last of a five-game homestand for the Blazers, who visit Western Conference-leading Denver on Sunday. The Nuggets beat the Blazers in their first meeting this season.

"They came here and they got one," Lillard said. "We had a shot at the end of the game to beat them and we didn't feel like we played that well. So we've just got to take this brand of basketball that we've been playing over the last few games and take it to their court and go get another win."

TIP-INS

Hornets: F Nicolas Batum played in Portland for seven seasons. ... Portland's 70 points at the half were the most for a Hornets opponent this season.

Trail Blazers: McCollum got into the campaign to get Lillard to the All-Star game with a video where he re-creates the final dance scene from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." The video, released on social media on Thursday, was shown on the scoreboard during the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Visit Sacramento on Saturday night.

Trail Blazers: Open a two-game trip on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.

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Rockets snap Blazers' five-game winning streak

AP

Rockets built big early lead and answered every Blazers run to snap Portland%27s win streak at five games

Chandler Parson scored 31 points with 10 rebounds%2C and Dwight Howard had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Houston

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 20 rebounds%2C and Damian Lillard added 24 points for Portland

HOUSTON (AP) — The last time the Houston Rockets scored more than 70 points in a first half they followed it with a franchise-low 19 points after halftime.

They had no such letdown Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Chandler Parsons scored a season-high 31 points and Dwight Howard added 24 to lead the Rockets to a 126-113 win over Portland that snapped the Trail Blazers' five-game winning streak.

The Rockets scored a season-high to win their second straight, building a big lead early and answering every time Portland made a run.

James Harden added 22 points and had five assists and Patrick Beverley returned from a broken hand to score 17 points. Parsons added 10 rebounds and seven assists while finishing one point shy of his career-high.

Harden talked about the difference between Monday night and last week's loss to Oklahoma City, when they set an NBA record for the largest scoring differential between two halves.

"We just held our composure," Harden said. "We couldn't worry about what they were doing or anything. We had to figure out a way to fight through it and play harder, push the tempo a little harder and play defense."

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 20 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have won seven of their last 11 games.

"We got close and we just couldn't get over that hump," Aldridge said. "Our shots didn't fall for us and they made tough shots and were able to get the win."

Houston was up by 18 points after a 3-pointer by Harden with about eight minutes left. The Trail Blazers used a 9-2 run over the next two minutes to cut it to 115-104. The Rockets struggled in that stretch, missing two layups and committing a turnover.

Houston missed two 3-pointers on one possession after that before Beverley hit a jump shot. Howard gave Houston a 119-104 lead when he grabbed an alley-oop from Harden and finished with a two-handed slam.

Damian Lillard added 24 points for Portland and Wesley Matthews had 18.

A 7-0 run by Portland midway through the third quarter got the Trail Blazers within six points. The Rockets scored the next seven straight to pad their lead to 93-80.

"They made a run in the third quarter and instead of us complaining, we got to the bench and we talked about what we needed to do and we got a good win against a very, very good team," Howard said.

Jeremy Lin made a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the third quarter to make it 106-91 entering the fourth.

Harden was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws before hitting a 3-pointer for a 6-0 run that pushed Houston's lead to 79-61 early in the third quarter.

The Trail Blazers answered with a 9-0 spurt to cut the lead to 79-70. Aldridge had a 3-point play during that stretch and Lillard capped it with two free throws when he was fouled by Howard, who also got a technical on the play.

The Rockets scored for the first time in almost three minutes on a layup by Parsons with about seven minutes left in the quarter. Nicolas Batum made a layup before Parsons added a 3-pointer to extend Houston's lead to 84-72.

Mo Williams got Portland within seven points when he opened the second quarter with a jump shot. But Houston countered with eight straight points powered by two 3-pointers from Omri Casspi to push the lead to 45-30.

Five straight points by Matthews a couple of minutes later cut Houston's lead to 12 points. The Rockets responded again, scoring seven points in a row to extend the lead to 60-41.

Casspi scored five quick points soon after that to extend Houston's lead to 71-49. Portland scored the last seven points of the half to get within 71-56 at the break.

The Rockets made 10-of-13 3-pointers in the first half to help them to score more than 70 points in a half for the second time in a week.

Houston scored on its first 11 possessions to build a 25-11 lead. Beverley, who returned to the starting lineup after missing 14 games following surgery to repair a broken right hand, had two 3-pointers in that span and Harden had one.

NOTES: Houston's Terrence Jones, who scored a career-high 36 points in the last game, sat out with a deep thigh bruise. Donatas Motiejunas started in his place and finished with nine points and nine rebounds. … The Trail Blazers have scored at least 98 points in 29 games in a row. … Batum injured one of his fingers and said he "felt it crack" but wasn't sure of the extent of the injury after the game.

McCollum scores 37 as Blazers down Pelicans 112-94

AP

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — CJ McCollum says it's liberating to finally be able to play his game.

McCollum scored a career-high 37 points, including six 3-pointers, and the new-look Portland Trail Blazers opened the season with a 112-94 victory over the depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

It was Portland's 15th straight home-opening victory, surpassing Boston's record of 14 (1979-92).

McCollum, in his third year, played limited minutes last season, but Portland's offseason overhaul has pushed him into a more prominent role.

"It feels good man, like a caged animal ready to be unleashed," McCollum said with a smile. "The basket continues to get bigger and bigger and you continue to gain confidence."

Damian Lillard, Portland's only remaining starter from last season, had 21 points and 11 assists. The Blazers are the third-youngest team in the NBA this season.

Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost 111-95 at Golden State in their opener on Tuesday night.

Portland led by as many as 30 points in the second half, but the Pelicans closed to 100-92 on a 3-pointer for Davis with just under four minutes left.

The Blazers pulled away from there. McCollum hit a jumper to make it 107-92 with 1:16 to go.

"A great shooter," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said. "So there's not a whole lot you can do about it. He was in a rhythm."

McCollum was 14 for 22 from the field in Portland's first game since All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, a fixture on the roster for the past nine years, departed for San Antonio in free agency.

Guard Wesley Matthews (Mavericks), center Robin Lopez (Knicks) and forward Nicolas Batum (Hornets) also moved on from a team that went 51-31 before getting bounced from the first round of the playoffs by Memphis.

New Orleans has been hit with injuries, and was without center Omer Asik because of a right calf strain and forward Luke Babbitt with a left hamstring strain. Starter Tyreke Evans will miss six to eight weeks after surgery last week to remove bone chips in his right knee.

McCollum had 28 points in the first half, helping the Blazers to a 70-43 lead at the break.

"It's been a long time coming for me," McCollum said. "I've worked so hard for this moment to get an opportunity to play opening night and the coaching staff to have trust in me."

New Orleans, which finished 45-37 last season and lost to the eventual NBA champion Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, struggled to keep up until a fourth-quarter rally.

Davis, who averaged 24.4 points last season, had three 3-pointers. Eric Gordon finished with 20 points.

"Tonight we fought like crazy and competed, but we've got to get off to better starts," Gentry said. "We were playing uphill the rest of the game. Then it has to be a perfect storm to come back. But I liked the fight."

TIP-INS

Blazers: The Trail Blazers held a moment of silence for Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who died Sunday at age 60. ... Lillard's 11 assists gave him 1,506 for his career; A Blazer hasn't reached the milestone as quickly since Terry Porter.

Pelicans: New Orleans also was without G Norris Cole because of a left ankle sprain. To shore up the roster, the Pelicans signed Ish Smith on Monday. Veteran guard Nate Robinson was signed on Oct. 15.

HOLIDAY RECOVERS

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday started but is playing restricted minutes while he recovers from offseason surgery on his right leg. Holiday got the previous night off against the Warriors because he hasn't been cleared to play back-to-backs.

He finished with 12 points in 22 minutes.

LILLARD'S MESSAGE

Lillard addressed the fans at the Moda Center before the game. "We want to thank you guy for being the greatest fans in the league, your continued support means a lot to us, and as we begin a new season and a new chapter, we're going to need you now more than ever," he said.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: Host the Warriors on Halloween.

Trail Blazers: Visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

DeRozan's season-high 36 help Spurs beat Blazers, 131-118

AP

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A day off was the exhale the San Antonio Spurs needed after two blowout losses.

DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 36 points and San Antonio overcame a big game by Damian Lillard to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 131-118 on Sunday night.

The Spurs held a rare practice Saturday morning following consecutive losses of 39 points and 31 points. The team responded with its highest scoring output in regulation this season.

"Our communication was better," DeRozan said. "I just told the guys, go out there and play, relax, don't think too much."

The Spurs responded by shooting 70 percent on 3-pointers with at least 10 attempts for the first time since 2006, finishing 11 for 15 on 3s.

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LaMarcus Aldridge added 29 points and Rudy Gay had 18 as San Antonio snapped its two-game skid.

Lillard scored 37 points and C.J. McCollum had 24 for Portland.

The Blazers have lost five of six, giving up an average of 123.2 points in those losses.

"We've given up a lot of points, but the league's funny right now," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "San Antonio just came off of games where they've given up a lot of points."

Spurs guard Patty Mills referred to the losses as "embarrassing" and "deflating," but San Antonio was able to rebound with a needed win as it prepares to embark on a two-game road trip.

"It had to be better than the last two games, right?" Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Everybody's got to participate. Good individual defense matters and good team defense (matters), but there is no team defense without talking or trust. We're trying to get there with this new group."

DeRozan scored 26 points in the second half as the Spurs rallied from a seven-point deficit in the third quarter after blowing a 12-point lead in the first half.

Portland opened the second half on a 24-10 run in taking a 79-72 lead. San Antonio aided the spurt by committing four turnovers and missing five of its first six shots.

"We were trying to get L.A. going, get him in a rhythm," DeRozan said. "As soon as he came out in the third quarter, I seen we were just kind of stagnant. We had a couple of turnovers in a row, I just tried to be more aggressive and put the pressure on them."

Al-Farouq Aminu tied a season high, scoring 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter. Aminu also finished with nine rebounds.

DeRozan had 18 of San Antonio's final 20 points to close the third quarter, giving the Spurs a 97-90 lead entering the fourth. He opened the game 3 for 12 but finished 13 of 27 in scoring the most points he has with San Antonio.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Popovich praised coach Jeff Van Gundy for leading the United States men's basketball team to a berth in the 2019 World Cup in China with a 78-70 victory over Uruguay on Sunday. Popovich will coach the U.S. squad in the World Cup in August 2019 and in the 2020 Olympics.

"Well, of course I'm happy as heck," Popovich said. "We're not in the dance if we don't qualify. Coach Van Gundy has been brilliant and he's working for pennies, zero pennies. He wants to do it for the country and he loves coaching. There's nobody better to put a team together quickly. I think this was the fifth time, I'm not sure, but four or five different teams to get the USA to be able to qualify. He deserves a lot of credit and all those guys that have given up their time to do this. It was a group effort, but he's the guy that made it go."

WHISTLE STOP

The Spurs noticed Stotts kept whistling when he wanted the Blazers to double team defensively.

"I just noticed it," Aldridge said. "I think last year and this year whenever he whistles, the double is coming. And I think he does it sometimes to try to trick you into thinking it's coming. But I thought everyone was ready for it. I thought guys went to the right spaces. I tried to make the right reads and it ended up working out."

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Every starter scored in double figures except Maurice Harkless, who finished with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting. ... Aminu also scored 20 points against Denver on Nov. 30. ... Evan Turner sat out with an inflamed left Achilles tendon. Turner had played in every game, averaging 8.2 points in 26 minutes.

Spurs: Aldridge became the 69th player in NBA history with 7,000 field goals, joining Pau Gasol and former Spurs George Gervin, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kevin Willis, Dale Ellis, Terry Cummings, Moses Malone and Dominique Wilkins. ... DeRozan's previous season high was 34 points, accomplished three times. ... Marco Belinelli missed his first game of the season, sitting out due to neck stiffness. . The Spurs are 85-83 against Portland, making them the only team with a winning record against every other club in the NBA.

100 PERCENT

Aldridge now ranks in the top 100 in league history in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals and games started.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: At Dallas on Tuesday night.

Spurs: At Utah on Tuesday night.

___

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Lillard scores 34 points, Trail Blazers beat Lakers 106-94

AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Damian Lillard dished out more of the same punishment to the Los Angeles Lakers that he did the last time he faced them. They still had no answer for his fourth-quarter theatrics.

Lillard scored 17 of his 34 points in the final 8:16, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 106-94 victory Sunday night and making the Northwest Division leaders the first NBA team to 30 wins.

"It's a great accomplishment to have 30 wins in 38 games," Lillard said. "We've just got to keep the same mentality that we've had and always remember that we are an elite team. And we've got to keep proving that every night and stay locked in."

Four other players scored in double figures for the Blazers, who have won 27 of their last 32 games and are a season-best 22 over .500. LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points and nine rebounds, Wesley Matthews had 16 points and Nicolas Batum added 11. Chris Kaman had 12 rebounds and nine points in his fourth start of the season and second against his former team.

Lillard averaged 25 points over his previous four games against the Lakers. He scored 16 of his 39 points in the final 5:11 when the Blazers beat them 98-84 at Portland last Monday, and also had a 38-point effort against the Lakers on April 10, 2013.

"It was pretty much the same things I saw the last game against them," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "We played them really tough, and then Damien kind of takes over. We tried to pressure him, we tried to trap him at times, but he just made some great shots. He's just a heck of a player."

Meyers Leonard put Portland ahead to stay with a 3-pointer, triggering a 17-3 run that helped the Trail Blazers open up an 89-76 lead with 6:50 to play. Lillard made a 3-pointer, a driving layup and a three-point play during a 1:54 span before Aldridge capped the rally with a 20-footer.

"We started to run some sets that I was able to get loose on," Lillard said. "Our bigs did a great job in transitioning and in the halfcourt game and setting solid screens. So I was just able to get a big man in front of me and make plays, and the shots were falling."

The 6-foot-3 Lillard scored Portland's final eight points, including a soaring slam dunk between the 6-10 duo of Jordan Hill and Ed Davis and turned it into a three-point play after Hill fouled him.

"At that point in the game, I knew it was getting really physical. They had cut the lead down, so I knew I had to go strong and I did," Lillard said. "There was a perfect amount of space, and (Hill) jumped late. So I wouldn't even say I completely jumped over him So I did. I was surprised that he didn't just let me get the two points, instead of letting it be an and-one."

The Lakers got to 97-90 on 3-pointers by Wayne Ellington and Wesley Johnson against a defense that entered Sunday first in the NBA in defending the 3-point shot.

Kobe Bryant was rested by Lakers coach Byron Scott for the sixth time in 11 games and second game in a row. The NBA's third-leading career scorer, playing in his 19th season at age 36, played in only six games last season due to a torn Achilles and a fracture in his left knee.

Wesley Johnson returned to the Lakers' lineup and scored 17 points after missing three games because of a strained hip flexor. Ronnie Price had a career-high 12 assists, one of which set up a driving dunk by Tarik Black that pulled the Lakers into a 69-all tie late in the third quarter.

___

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Portland is 15-3 when Lillard leads them in scoring and 13-3 when Aldridge does. They shared team scoring honors twice, combining for 70 points in a 115-106 loss at Chicago, and scoring 23 apiece in a 108-95 home win against San Antonio. ... The Blazers are 20-0 when leading after three quarters. They also have won a league-best eight games when trailing after three.

Lakers: Bryant averaged 35.5 minutes through Lakers' first 27 games before Scott gave him three straight games off. In the five games he's played since then, he has averaged 31.4 minutes. The Lakers are 2-4 when he is out of the lineup. ... Bryant has a career scoring average of 27.8 against Portland. He had 65 points against the Blazers on March 16, 2007, and 50 on April 14, 2006. ... Hill is the only Lakers player to start in all 38 games.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Lakers: Host Miami on Tuesday night.

Bucks beat Trail Blazers 122-101 for third straight win

AP

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have bigger goals than a 70-win season, though their star player isn’t taking their phenomenal start for granted.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 30 points and the Bucks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-101 on Saturday night.

Eric Bledsoe added 29 points for the Bucks, who made 14 3-pointers led by Middleton's 4-for-4 performance.

Antetokounmpo was asked afterward if the Bucks have changed their mindset from the hunters to the hunted.

“We're still hunting,” the reigning MVP said. “Obviously teams are going to come and play hard against us. But at the end of the day we have to be the hunters. We have to have that mentality. That’s what we’ve been doing. We’ve won 35 games and played 41. That’s crazy.”

Follow every game: Latest NBA Scores and Schedules

But Middleton downplayed it.

“You can’t win a championship in the regular season,” Middleton said.

Antetokounmpo had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone and Milwaukee went on to its third straight win. That matched his entire point total from Friday night’s win over Sacramento.

“Usually when I’m not aggressive the previous game, I come out the next game more aggressive,” Antetokounmpo said. “I can remember since I started playing basketball and that’s what we did tonight.”

Antetokounmpo also hit multiple 3-pointers for the 18th time this season, something he did only 13 times all of last season.

“I’m comfortable, but I have to keep getting better,” he said.

The Bucks led 32-24 after the first quarter as Damian Lillard did his best to keep Portland within range, scoring 12 points in the first quarter.

Lillard finished with 26 points while CJ McCollum scored 20 and Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but Portland lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

“Yeah, it was a good effort but we don’t show up to have a good effort,” Lillard said. “We show up to win.”

The Blazers shot just 10 for 36 from the 3-point line.

The Bucks pushed their lead to as high as 17 multiple times in the third quarter and held a 97-80 lead after the period thanks to a tip-in by Pat Connaughton before the buzzer.

A three-point play by Bledsoe pushed the Bucks lead to 116-94, their biggest of the game. A couple of possessions later, coach Terry Stotts removed the Blazers starters from the game.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Though Antetokounmpo is the biggest reason for the Bucks' NBA-best 35-6 record, the Bucks outscore their opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions when the MVP sits, according to NBA.com. “I think (Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer) does a really good job of integrating all his players,” Stotts said. “They have interchangeable parts, they pass, they shoot, they’re unselfish, they have rim protection.”

Trail Blazers: The Blazers, who are dealing with a host of injuries, were forced to deal with illness on Saturday night. Starting center Hassan Whiteside missed the game after playing through an illness in Thursday’s road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. McCollum missed a Jan. 5 game with an illness but according to Stotts, Whiteside was the only player still affected by the sickness that spread around the team over the past week. Anthony Tolliver started in Whiteside’s place, finishing with 11 rebounds and seven points in 28 minutes.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Tuesday at home vs. New York Knicks.

Trail Blazers: Monday at home vs. Charlotte Hornets.

Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal named best December rookies

USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.

Beal lead all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.4 ppg) and total assists with (41) in December. He had six games with 15-plus points during the month and made a career-high eight field goals in a 100-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec.18.

Lillard led all rookies in scoring (18.4 ppg), assists (6.3 apg) and is tied for third among NBA point guards with 16 games of 20-plus points. On Dec.13 against the San Antonio Spurs he became one of just 12 NBA players to record at least 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a game this season.

Here is a recap of the month for Beal and Lillard:

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Dec. 11@ New Orleans: Posted 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 77-70 victory vs. the Hornets.

Dec. 12 @ Houston: Recorded 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 99-93 loss to the Rockets.

Dec. 15 @ Miami: Tallied 19 points and three rebounds in a 102-72 loss to the Heat.

Dec. 18 @ Atlanta: Had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 100-95 loss to the Hawks.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Dec. 1 @ Cleveland: Scored 24 points, established a career-high with 11 assists and added six rebounds in a 118-117 (2OT) win vs. the Cavaliers.

Dec. 13 vs. San Antonio: Had a career-high 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a 98-90 win vs. the Spurs.

Dec. 22 vs. Phoenix: Posted 25 points and seven assists in a 96-93 victory vs. the Suns.

Dec. 26 vs. Sacramento: Tallied 17 points, set a career-high in rebounds (eight) and tied a career-high with 11 assists in a 109-91 win against the Kings.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cleveland's Tyler Zeller, Detroit's Andre Drummond, and New Orleans' Anthony Davis.


Dictionary.com adds over 300 new words: Here's what deadass ...

We have some new words to describe our hellscape.

Dictionary.com added more than 300 new words Tuesday and more than 1,200 new and revised definitions for existing words. The update comes as the dictionary works to keep up with the "ever-changing English language."

"The sheer range and volume of vocabulary captured in our latest update to Dictionary.com reflects a shared feeling that change today is happening faster and more than ever before," John Kelly, senior director of editorial at Dictionary.com, said in a statement.

"Our team of lexicographers is documenting and contextualizing that unstoppable swirl of the English language – not only to help us better understand our changing times, but how the times we live in change, in turn, our language."

Sitch, convo, and fauxhawk:Scrabble dictionary adds hundreds of words for board game

Yeet, sus and cringe:Merriam-Webster adds 370 new words and phrases to its dictionary

New words added to Dictionary.com

The 313 new words added to Dictionary.com range from a variety of topics, from modern problems and identity to pop culture and politics.

Some of popular additions include "deadass," "hellscape," "petfluencer" and "woke." Here are the new words and what they mean:

Bedwetting: exhibition of emotional overreaction, as anxiety or alarm, to events, especially major decisions or outcomes.

exhibition of emotional overreaction, as anxiety or alarm, to events, especially major decisions or outcomes. Cakeism: the false belief that one can enjoy the benefits of two choices that are in fact mutually exclusive, or have it both ways.

the false belief that one can enjoy the benefits of two choices that are in fact mutually exclusive, or have it both ways. Deadass: genuinely, sincerely, or truly; in fact.

genuinely, sincerely, or truly; in fact. Fan service: material added to a work of fiction for the perceived or actual purpose of appealing to the audience, used especially of material that is risqu or sexual in nature

material added to a work of fiction for the perceived or actual purpose of appealing to the audience, used especially of material that is risqu or sexual in nature Hellscape: a place or time that is hopeless, unbearable, or irredeemable.

a place or time that is hopeless, unbearable, or irredeemable. Liminal space: a state or place characterized by being transitional or intermediate in some way, or any location that is unsettling, uncanny, or dreamlike.

a state or place characterized by being transitional or intermediate in some way, or any location that is unsettling, uncanny, or dreamlike. Multisexual: noting or relating to a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of more than one gender, used especially as an inclusive term to describe similar, related sexual orientations such as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, etc.

noting or relating to a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of more than one gender, used especially as an inclusive term to describe similar, related sexual orientations such as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, etc. Nearlywed: a person who lives with another in a life partnership, sometimes engaged with no planned wedding date, sometimes with no intention of ever marrying.

a person who lives with another in a life partnership, sometimes engaged with no planned wedding date, sometimes with no intention of ever marrying. Northpaw: an athlete, usually a pitcher or boxer, who is right-handed or competes as a right-hander.

an athlete, usually a pitcher or boxer, who is right-handed or competes as a right-hander. Petfluencer: a person who gains a large following on social media by posting entertaining images or videos of their cat, dog, or other pet.

a person who gains a large following on social media by posting entertaining images or videos of their cat, dog, or other pet. Pinkwashing: an instance or practice of acknowledging and promoting the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community, but superficially, as a ploy to divert attention from allegiances and activities that are in fact hostile to such liberties.

an instance or practice of acknowledging and promoting the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community, but superficially, as a ploy to divert attention from allegiances and activities that are in fact hostile to such liberties. Queerbaiting: a marketing technique involving intentional homoeroticism or suggestions of LGBTQ+ themes intended to draw in an LGBTQ+ audience, without explicit inclusion of openly LGBTQ+ relationships, characters, or people.

a marketing technique involving intentional homoeroticism or suggestions of LGBTQ+ themes intended to draw in an LGBTQ+ audience, without explicit inclusion of openly LGBTQ+ relationships, characters, or people. Rage farming: the tactic of intentionally provoking political opponents, typically by posting inflammatory content on social media, in order to elicit angry responses and thus high engagement or widespread exposure for the original poster.

the tactic of intentionally provoking political opponents, typically by posting inflammatory content on social media, in order to elicit angry responses and thus high engagement or widespread exposure for the original poster. Self-coup: a coup d'état performed by the current, legitimate government or a duly elected head of state to retain or extend control over government, through an additional term, an extension of term, an expansion of executive power, the dismantling of other government branches, or the declaration that an election won by an opponent is illegitimate.

a coup d'état performed by the current, legitimate government or a duly elected head of state to retain or extend control over government, through an additional term, an extension of term, an expansion of executive power, the dismantling of other government branches, or the declaration that an election won by an opponent is illegitimate. Superdodger: anyone who, for unverified reasons, remains uninfected or asymptomatic even after repeated exposure to a contagious virus.

anyone who, for unverified reasons, remains uninfected or asymptomatic even after repeated exposure to a contagious virus. Talmbout: a phonetic spelling representing an African American Vernacular English pronunciation of talking about, used especially online.

a phonetic spelling representing an African American Vernacular English pronunciation of talking about, used especially online. Tifo: a coordinated display, including large banners, flags, and sometimes signs or cards, executed cooperatively or performed in unison by the most fervent supporters and ultra fans in the stadium.

a coordinated display, including large banners, flags, and sometimes signs or cards, executed cooperatively or performed in unison by the most fervent supporters and ultra fans in the stadium. Trauma dumping: unsolicited, one-sided sharing of traumatic or intensely negative experiences or emotions in an inappropriate setting or with people who are unprepared for the interaction.

unsolicited, one-sided sharing of traumatic or intensely negative experiences or emotions in an inappropriate setting or with people who are unprepared for the interaction. Woke: of or relating to a liberal progressive orthodoxy, especially promoting inclusive policies or ideologies that welcome or embrace ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities.

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Dictionary.com updates antisemitism

Dictionary.com said one of its most notable updates was adjusting anti-Semitism to antisemitism. The decision to remove the hyphen and fully lowercase the word was done because it's the "widely preferred single word form that Jewish groups, and many style guides, including those of major publications, have also adopted."

The definition of the word, which is "discrimination against or prejudice or hostility toward Jews," does not change.

How does Dictionary.com add words?

Dictionary.com says it doesn't make up words – words are added "because they’re real – because they’re really used by real people in the real world."

Dictionary.com uses the following criteria to determine whether a word should be added:

It’s a word that’s used by a lot of people. It’s used by those people in largely the same way. It’s likely to stick around. It’s useful for a general audience.

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

Slay, dabbing, and dad bod: New words added to Dictionary.com

Mary Bowerman

USA TODAY Network

Dictionary.com added more than 300 new words to the online dictionary Thursday, finally giving legitimacy to the practice of sending racy text messages or "sexts" and cat cafes.

The list of new words includes alt-right, a white nationalist movement, hangry, or becoming angry when hungry and smackdown a severe rebuke or criticism.

The addition of the new words stem from recent trends that Dictionary.com lexicographers found in pop culture, politics, marijuana use and food and fitness.

“Our users turn to us to define the words they see, hear, and read—and in today’s highly politicized world, we play a necessary role in helping users dissect the meaning of words heard in this period of political discourse,” said Liz McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com. “But not all new words spark controversy; words are often poetic and uplifting. For instance, our users have often asked why petrichor isn’t in the dictionary, and today they can look it up and get an official definition for the distinctive aroma you smell after it rains.”

Here's a look at 10 of the words you can now find on Dictionary.com:

Dabbing : A celebratory dance move that involves posing with one's nose in the crook of a bent elbow while extending the other arm to the side or above shoulder level.

: A celebratory dance move that involves posing with one's nose in the crook of a bent elbow while extending the other arm to the side or above shoulder level. Dad bod : A man who is attractive despite being a little overweight.

: A man who is attractive despite being a little overweight. Friendiversary : It's not an anniversary, but a "friendiversary." It's a celebration of the date when two people became friends.

: It's not an anniversary, but a "friendiversary." It's a celebration of the date when two people became friends. Sext : A sexual text message or video sent to someone.

: A sexual text message or video sent to someone. Slay : The act of strongly impressing someone.

: The act of strongly impressing someone. Struggle bus : We've all been here before. Struggle bus is slang for a struggling with a situation or task that is difficult.

: We've all been here before. Struggle bus is slang for a struggling with a situation or task that is difficult. Superfood : Avocados, turmeric, and pomegranate, are just a few superfoods, or products taht are touted for exceptionally good for one's health.

: Avocados, turmeric, and pomegranate, are just a few superfoods, or products taht are touted for exceptionally good for one's health. Throw shade : to insult or criticize someone.

: to insult or criticize someone. Uncanny valley : According to Dictionary.com, uncanny valley is "a psychological concept that describes the feelings of unease or revulsion that people tend to have toward artificial representations of human beings, as robots or computer animations, that closely imitate many but not all the features and behaviors of actual human beings."

: According to Dictionary.com, uncanny valley is "a psychological concept that describes the feelings of unease or revulsion that people tend to have toward artificial representations of human beings, as robots or computer animations, that closely imitate many but not all the features and behaviors of actual human beings." B*tchface: a facial experssion someone makes when that looks threatening or angry, but is actually just the person's resting face.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman

Yeet, sus and cringe: Merriam-Webster adds 370 new words and ...

You may want to yeet your old Merriam-Webster book, as the publishing company decided to level up and serve lewks by including 370 new words and phrases to its dictionary.

In a move that could be seen as sus or cringe, Merriam-Webster said on Wednesday when a word is constantly used in the same way "over a long enough period of time," it becomes eligible to enter the dictionary, which the publisher does every few months. ICYMI, which stands for "in case you missed it" and was also just added to the dictionary, words were last added in January.

Most of the notable new words added this year come from social media slang or pop culture references, while terms relating to the economy and COVID-19 pandemic also made the list.

"Some of these words will amuse or inspire, others may provoke debate. Our job is to capture the language as it is used," Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, said in a statement. "Words offer a window into our ever-changing language and culture, and are only added to the dictionary when there is clear and sustained evidence of use."

New Merriam-Webster dictionary words

Here are some of the additions to the dictionary and what they mean. If you're a pumpkin spice lover, then there's good news for you: it's now in the dictionary.

If any of these terms upset you or don't feel like they belong, Merriam-Webster may suggest listening to a calming dawn chorus, which is "the singing of wild birds that closely precedes and follows sunrise especially in spring and summer."

shrinkflation: the practice of reducing a product's amount or volume per unit while continuing to offer it at the same price.

yeet: used to express surprise, approval, or excited enthusiasm; to throw especially with force and without regard for the thing being thrown.

sus: slang for suspicious, suspect.

cringe: so embarrassing, awkward, etc. as to cause one to cringe.

lewk: a fashion look that is distinctive to the wearer and that is noticeable and memorable to others

adorkable: socially awkward or quirky in a way that is endearing

pwn: to dominate and defeat (someone or something)

MacGyver: to make, form, or repair (something) with what is conveniently on hand

baller: excellent, exciting, or extraordinary especially in a way that is suggestive of a lavish lifestyle

side hustle: work performed for income supplementary to one's primary job

level up: to advance or improve (oneself, someone else, or something) in or as if in a game

LARP: a live-action role-playing game in which a group of people enacts a fictional scenario (such as a fantasy adventure) in real time typically under the guidance of a facilitator or organizer

Galentine’s Day: a holiday observed on February 13th as a time to celebrate friendships especially among women

Contributing: Associated Press

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

cisgender-pokemon-and-butthurt-join-dictionarycom

Ryan Lasker

It's no longer considered improper English to say that when eating al-desko you caught a Pokemon while listening to a butthurt co-worker who didn't get the promotion ze was expecting.

That's because those words have been made "official" by Dictionary.com, which updated its database to include no fewer than 300 new words and definitions.

"Mainstream cultural conversations give Dictionary.com’s lexicographers an endless supply of words to research," it explained on its website.

Many of the added words have to do with personal identity ("ze," "cisgender" and "misgender"), technology ("Pokemon," "click fraud" and "gig economy") and food ("farm-to-table" and "al-desko," which means, naturally, eating at one's desk in an office).

Other now-common terms that made the cut: "butthurt" ("mental distress or irritation caused by an overreaction to a perceived personal slight"), "lumbersexual" (just picture it and you'll know what it means) and "woke" ("actively aware of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights").

Related: 10 new, old words to add to your vocabulary this year

Liz McMillan, the CEO of Dictionary.com, told Time magazine that the process of adding new words is "algorithm first and human second."

“We get over 5.5 billion word lookups every year, and we analyze those lookups to identify new words that we haven’t seen before,” she told the magazine. “And when we see a critical mass of volume against a particular word, our lexicography team will start researching.”

Ryan Lasker is a George Washington University student and a USA TODAY College digital producer.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.

Brogrammer, hyperlocal: Dictionary.com adds words

Lindsay Deutsch

USA TODAY Network

Feeling some microaggression toward a blackhat who's doxxed you on a glanceable smartwatch platform?

If not, don't worry — that's just anecdata.

Dictionary.com unveiled its newest entries on Wednesday, focusing on new and updated technology terms along with thousands of new or revised definitions that reflect English terms used in-person and online.

According to the company, the tech-based words were chosen based on their newsworthiness (see: revenge porn), and the volume by which words were searched on the site. Definitions have also been created for actions and items related to emerging technology like the Apple Watch (like glanceable). Scroll down for definitions.

Interestingly, Dictionary.com is also assigning new, zeitgeist-attuned meanings to common words. For example, "basic" does not mean just "generic" now — its definition has been expanded on the website to include "characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior." (Take that, Ugg boots and lattes.)

Dictionary.com also added words related to an inclusive perspective on gender identification like agender, big gender and gender-fluid.

Here's a selection of the new words:

agender: relating to a person who does not have a specific gender identity or recognizable gender expression.

anecdata: anecdotal evidence based on personal observations or opinions, random investigations, etc., but presented as fact.

astroturfing: the deceptive tactic of simulating grassroots support for a product or cause undertaken by people or organizations with an interest in shaping public opinion.

basic: characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior.

bigender: relating to a person who has two gender identities or some combination of both.

blackhat: a hacker who violates the security of a system for personal profit or for the gratification of causing damage.

brogrammer: a male computer programmer who is characterized as a bro.

crash blossom: an ambiguously worded headline whose meaning can be interpreted in the wrong way, as in "Missing Woman Remains Found."

cybercrime: criminal activity or a crime that involves the Internet, a computer system, or computer technology.

dark web: the portion of the Internet that is intentionally hidden from search engines, uses masked IP addresses, and is accessible only with a special web browser.

dox: to publish the private personal information of (another person) without the consent of that individual.

esports: competitive tournaments of video games.

gender-fluid: relating to a person whose gender identity or gender expression is not fixed and shifts over time or depending on the situation.

glanceable: relating to information on an electronic screen that can be understood quickly or at a glance.

gesture: a particular movement of the fingers or hand over a screen, used to control or interact with a digital device.

haptics: the study or use of tactile sensations and the sense of touch as a method of interacting with computers and electronic devices.

hyperlocal: focused on a very small geographical community, such as a neighborhood.

microaggression: a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other nondominant group that is often unintentional or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype.

mRDC: mobile remote deposit capture: a method of depositing a check by using a mobile device to scan an image of it and transmit the image to a bank.

parallax: a 3-D effect observed when images and other elements in the foreground of a screen move at a different rate than those in the background.

revenge porn: sexually suggestive images of someone, typically a former romantic partner, that are posted online without the person's consent.

ship: to take an interest in a romantic relationship between fictional characters or famous people.

smartwatch: a computing device that resembles a wristwatch and is attached to a band worn around the wrist.

Scrabble finally adds 'OK,' 'ew' to its dictionary

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Scrabble players, time to rethink your game because 300 new words are coming your way, including some long-awaited gems: OK and ew, to name a few.

Merriam-Webster released the sixth edition of "The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary" on Monday, four years after the last freshening up. The company, at the behest of Scrabble owner Hasbro Inc., left out one possibility under consideration for a hot minute — RBI — after consulting competitive players who thought it potentially too contentious. There was a remote case to be made since RBI has morphed into an actual word, pronounced rib-ee.

But that's OK because, "OK."

"OK is something Scrabble players have been waiting for, for a long time," said lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster. "Basically two- and three-letter words are the lifeblood of the game."

There's more good news in qapik, adding to an arsenal of 20 playable words beginning with q that don't need a u. Not that Scrabblers care all that much about definitions, qapik is a unit of currency in Azerbaijan.

"Every time there's a word with q and no u, it's a big deal," Sokolowski said. "Most of these are obscure."

There are some sweet scorers now eligible for play, including bizjet, and some magical vowel dumps, such as arancini, those Italian balls of cooked rice. Bizjet, meaning — yes — a small plane used for business, would be worth a whopping 120 points on an opening play, but only if it's made into a plural with an s. That's due to the 50-point bonus for using all seven tiles and the double word bonus space usually played at the start.

Beyond Scrabble:5 board games to try next

More Scrabble adds:New words like, 'facepalm' added to its dictionary

The Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary company sought counsel from the North American Scrabble Players Association when updating the book, Sokolowski said, "to make sure that they agree these words are desirable."

Sokolowski has a favorite among the new words but not, primarily, because of Scrabble scores. "It's macaron," he said, referring to the delicate French sandwich cookie featuring different flavors and fillings.

"I just like what it means," he said.

Merriam-Webster put out the first official Scrabble dictionary in 1976. Before that, the game's rules called for any desk dictionary to be consulted. Since an official dictionary was created, it has been updated every four to eight years, Sokolowski said.

There are other new entries Sokolowski likes, from a wordsmith's view.

"I think ew is interesting because it expresses something new about what we're seeing in language, which is to say that we are now incorporating more of what you might call transcribed speech. Sounds like ew or mm-hmm, or other things like coulda or kinda. Traditionally, they were not in the dictionary but because so much of our communication is texting and social media that is written language, we are finding more transcribed speech and getting a new group of spellings for the dictionary," he said.

Like ew, there's another interjection now in play, yowza, along with a word some might have thought was already allowed: zen.

There's often chatter around Scrabble boards over which foreign words have been accepted into English to the degree they're playable. Say hello to schneid, another of the new kids, this one with German roots. It's a sports term for a losing streak. Other foreigners added because they predominantly no longer require linguistic white gloves, such as italics or quotation marks: bibimbap, cotija and sriracha.

Scrabble was first trademarked as such in 1948, after it was thought up under a different name in 1933 by Alfred Mosher Butts, an out-of-work architect in Poughkeepsie, New York. Interest in the game picked up in the early 1950s, according to legend, when the president of Macy's happened upon it while on vacation.

Now, the official dictionary holds more than 100,000 words. Other newcomers Sokolowski shared are aquafaba, beatdown, zomboid, twerk, sheeple, wayback, bokeh, botnet, emoji, facepalm, frowny, hivemind, puggle and nubber.

Leanne Italie

Associated Press

NEW YORK – Here's the sitch, Scrabble stans. Your convos around the board are about to get more interesting with about 500 new words and variations added to the game's official dictionary: stan, sitch, convo, zedonk, dox and fauxhawk among them.

Out this month, the add-ons in the seventh edition of “The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary” join more than 100,000 words of two to eight letters. The book was last updated in 2018 through a longstanding partnership between Hasbro and Merriam-Webster.

The new words include some trademarks gone generic – dumpster for one – some shorthand joy like guac, and a delicious display of more verb variations: torrented, torrenting, adulted, adulting, atted, atting (as in "Don't at me, bro").

“We also turned verb into a verb so you can play verbed and verbing,” said Merriam-Webster’s editor at large Peter Sokolowski, a smile on his face and a word-nerd glitter in his eye during an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.

Yeet, sus and cringe:Merriam-Webster adds 370 new words and phrases to its dictionary

Will Wordle get harder?:New York Times unveils big changes for popular word game.

The highest scoring newbie

Fauxhawk, a haircut similar to a mohawk, is potentially the highest-scoring newbie, he said. Embiggen, a verb meaning to increase in size, is among the unexpected. (Sample sentence: “I really need to embiggen that Scrabble dictionary.”)

Compound words are on the rise in the book with deadname, pageview, fintech, allyship, babymoon and subtweet. So are the “uns,” such as unfollow, unsub and unmute. They may sound familiar, but they were never Scrabble-official, at least when it comes to the sainted game’s branded dictionary.

Tournament play is a whole other matter, with a broader range of agreed-upon words.

Sokolowski and a team of editors at Merriam-Webster have mined the oft-freshened online database at Merriam-Webster.com to expand the Scrabble book. Though the official rules of game play have always allowed the use of any dictionary that players sanction, many look to the official version when sitting down for a spot of Scrabble. Some deluxe Scrabble sets include one of the books.

In the past year or two, the Scrabble lexicon has been scrubbed of more than 200 racial, ethnic and otherwise offensive words, despite their presence in some dictionaries. That has prompted furious debate among tournament players. Supporters of the cleanup called it long overdue. Others argued that the words, however heinous in definition, should remain playable so long as points are to be had.

Despite home play rules that never specifically banned offensive words, you won't find the notorious 200 in the Scrabble dictionary, with rare exceptions for those with other meanings.

One under the radar for years

The new Scrabble book includes at least one old-fashioned word that simply fell under the radar for years: yeehaw.

“Yeehaw is like so many of the older, informal terms. They were more spoken than written, and the gold standard for dictionary editing was always written evidence. So a term like yeehaw, which we all know from our childhood and in movies and TV, was something you heard. You didn’t read it that often,” Sokolowski said.

Yeehaw, meet bae, inspo, vibed and vibing, all additions to the Scrabble dictionary. Ixnay, which was already in the book, has been promoted to a verb, so ixnayed, ixnaying and ixnays are now allowed.

Welp, thingie, roid, skeezy, slushee and hygge (the Danish obsession with getting cozy) also made the cut. So did kharif, the Indian subcontinent's fall harvest.

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Foodie additions

The Merriam-Webster wordsmiths have added a slew of food-related words: iftar, horchata, kabocha, mofongo, zuke, zoodle, wagyu, queso and marg, for margarita, among them. Many Scrabble players couldn't care less about definitions – only points – but informatively:

Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan. Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish made of fried or boiled plantains. Horchata is a sweet drink and kabocha is a winter squash.

Zonkey joins zedonk among new words using a Z, one of the highest scorers in Scrabble along with Q (each has a face value of 10 points). The difference between those two wacky-sounding animals, you ask? A zonkey is sired from a male zebra and a female donkey. The parentage of a zedonk is the other way around. Zedonk even has a playable variation: zeedonk.

COVID add-ons

Zoomer, for a member of GenZ, is also new. Familiar with the Middle Eastern spice blend za'atar? A less common variant, zaatar, is now in the Scrabble dictionary. Words with apostrophes aren't allowed.

And there's more where all of that came from:

Oppo, jedi, adorbs, dox variant doxxed, eggcorn (a misheard slip of the ear), fintech, folx (inclusive alternative to folks), grawlix, hangry, matcha, onesie, spork, swole, unmalted, vaquita, vax and vaxxed were added.

Yes, jedi need not be capitalized. Wondering what grawlix means? It's this: $%!(asterisk)#, a series of typographical symbols used to replace words one doesn't want to write, usually those that got you into trouble as a kid.

Among other new eight-letter words, the kind that help players clear their seven-tile racks for 50 extra points: hogsbane, more commonly known as giant hogweed. Another: pranayam, a breath technique in yoga.

Sokolowski wouldn’t reveal all 500 of the new words, challenging players to hunt them down on their own. Are your Scrabble senses scrambled, so to speak?

“All of these are words that have already been vetted and defined and added to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, and now we've determined they’re playable in Scrabble,” Sokolowski said. “You've got some fun new words.”

So which new entry is the word master's favorite? It's the one that sounds like the way acorn is pronounced.

“I like eggcorn,” Sokolowski said, “because it's a word about words.”

'Yas,' 'squad goals' and 'sausage fest' added to Oxford Dictionaries

Josh Hafner

USA TODAY

Oxford Dictionaries has published its latest update, adding more than 300 new words to its official collection such as "yas," "squad goals," "drunk text" and "sausage fest."

That last term means "an event or group in which the majority of participants are male," Oxford now explains. Also known as a "sausage party," it inspired last year's crude comedy of the same name.

Other newly added words include "cat lady," "drunk text" and "fitspiration," something that inspires one towards better health.

Oxford updates its collection every three months, often reflecting new terms and popular slang of the season. Slang and vulgar terms are marked as such, and Oxford defends their additions: "Slang terms are just as real as any other word, and are included in the dictionary in just the same way."

Past slang additions to the online reference guide include "manspreading," "butt-dial" and "cat cafe," but they're not all silly: Oxford's 2016 word of the year, "post-truth," reflected an ominous shift in Western politics.

Here's a list of notable additions from Oxford's latest update:

Biatch (noun): Used as an affectionate or disparaging form of address.

Brewer's droop (noun): Inability in a man to achieve or maintain an erection as a consequence of drinking an excess of alcohol.

Cat lady (noun): An older woman who lives alone with a large number of cats, to which she is thought to be obsessively devoted.

Climate refugee (noun): A person who has been forced to leave their home as a result of the effects of climate change on their environment.

Craptacular (adjective): Remarkably poor or disappointing.

Drunk text (noun): A text message sent while drunk, typically one that is embarrassing or foolish.

Fitspiration (noun): A person or thing that serves as motivation for someone to sustain or improve health and fitness.

Haterade (noun): Excessive negativity, criticism, or resentment.

In vino veritas (exclamation): Under the influence of alcohol, a person tells the truth.

Sausage fest (noun): An event or group in which the majority of participants are male.

Yas

(exclamation): Expressing great pleasure or excitement.

Learn more about the update and see additional words in this recent blog post at Oxford.

► Related: Merriam-Webster adds new words: photobomb, ghost and microaggression

Ivanka inspired: 'Complicit' Dictionary.com word of the year for 2017

Ivanka Trump's choice to remain involved in her father's presidency helped make "complicit" Dictionary.com's word of the year, but the site said the word resonates with a number of 2017's biggest stories from Washington to Hollywood.

"The word 'complicit' has sprung up in conversations this year about those who speak out against powerful figures and institutions and about those who stay silent," the digital dictionary said in an announcement, noting a 300% increase in look-ups for the word over last year.

Complicit, defined as "choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others," first surged with lookups on March 12: Saturday Night Live prodded Ivanka the day prior in a faux commercial about her new perfume called Complicit, driving a 10,000% spike in the word's daily average.

More:Scarlett Johansson debuts as 'complicit' Ivanka Trump on 'SNL'

Ivanka remains an advisor to her father, despite indicating disagreement with him on a number of issues including climate change, support for LGBTQ Americans and whether Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore preyed on underage girls.

The next surge in lookups came on April 5, the site's data shows, when Ivanka appeared on CBS' This Morning and defined "complicit" as "wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact." Ivanka, an Ivy League graduate, later said she didn't know what it meant to be "complicit." Look-ups for the word spiked 11,000% after that.

More:Merriam-Webster defines complicit for Ivanka Trump

A third, smaller spike came last month when Republican Sen. Jeff Flake claimed he would "not be complicit" with President Trump's actions. Yet Flake's actual votes had aligned with Trump's stances more than 90% of the time, as FiveThirtyEight noted, and "complicit" surged again.

Dictionary.com chooses its word of the year by analyzing spikes in look-up data that correlate with noteworthy events. The site also viewed "complicit" as resonating with the themes of many of 2017's largest stories, from the complicity of those who aided sexual harassment in Hollywood to social media giants like Facebook and Twitter seeming complicit with Russian propaganda.

The site also saw spikes for several other words of note:

Intersex: The word trended in January after model Hanne Gaby Odiele revealed she was intersex to USA TODAY.

Horologist: This term for a clockmaker saw look-ups spike after its use in the massively popular podcast S-Town.

Totality: This word's surge came after the moon blocked out the sun over America in August.

Shrinkage: A house, featured in an iconic episode of Seinfeld in which this term was coined, hit the market earlier this year.

Tarnation: If you didn't see the "what in tarnation" jokes spring up online in early 2017, well, you kind of had to be there.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

Lolz! Scrabble adds new words and they are ridic

Lori Grisham

USA TODAY Network

Getting rid of Z's in Scrabble just got a lot easier (lolz). The classic board game added more than 6,500 new words to its dictionary Thursday.

The additions are "influenced by all parts of life including social media, slang, technology and food, plus English from around the world," publishing house Collins said in a statement on its website.

The new words include popular slang like "ridic" (short for ridiculous), "bezzy" (short for best friends) and "lolz." Collins defines lolz as "laughs at someone else's or one's own expense" and is worth 13 points.

The dictionary, called Collins Official Scrabble Words, now has more than 276,000 permissible words players can use in a game.

Here are a few other new words:

Emoji: Digital icon used in electronic communication (14 points)

Tunage: music (8 points)

Blech: Interjection expressing disgust (12 points)

Checkbox: Small clickable box on a computer screen (28 points)

Wahh: Interjection used to express wailing (10 points)

Cakehole: Mouth (17 points)

Follow @lagrisham on Twitter