Damian Lillard has claimed that the Portland Trail Blazer have proved how good they are with the win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
The Pacers had lost just once this season before being defeated by the Blazers, who were guided to a 106-102 victory by LaMarcus Aldridge's 28 points.
"It was a tough one, and we knew it was going to be a tough one going in," Lillard told reporters.
"They're a good team; they only had one loss. But we're a good team, too, and we wanted to prove that."
Despite recording a win against one of the teams expected to challenge for the NBA title, Portland coach Terry Stotts does not believe that his side have made a statement to the other top teams.
"We played the most complete game from beginning to end: execution, effort, mental focus. All of those things," Stotts claimed. "But I don't believe you play statement games in December."
Portland have lost just three of their 18 games this season.
Callum Mulvihill
