The Portland Trail Blazers earned a much-needed 118-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, emerging from a furious, back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter for an impressive victory on the second night of a back-to-back.

A lot went right for the Blazers from the friendly confines of Moda Center when they needed it most.

They shot a season-high 56.1 percent overall, also going 16-of-36 from beyond the arc. Nassir Little put together another encouraging two-way performance. Despite playing small for the entire fourth quarter, Portland kept Toronto — by far basketball's best offensive rebounding team — in check on the defensive glass. Larry Nance Jr. played his best game of the season, not missing a shot en route to 15 points and five rebounds. The Blazers answered multiple late-game runs by punching right back on both ends, finally putting the Raptors down for good by the final buzzer.

Even amid that hot team-wide shooting, awesome bench production and an all-around effort that Chauncey Billups called “great,” though, what really made the biggest difference for Portland is simple: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum reminded Rip City why they've comprised one of the league's best offensive backcourts for more than a half-decade, starring in the same game for the first time this season.

McCollum dropped a game-high 29 points and six assists on 11-of-18 shooting, canning six triples. His tough leaner around former teammate Gary Trent Jr. put Portland up five with just under 50 seconds left, then McCollum sealed the win on the next possession by grabbing his own deflected pass and finding Nance for a dunk.

Lillard wasn't quite as efficient, shooting 10-of-21 overall and 3-of-6 from deep en route to 24 points. Slicing and dicing his way through a ridiculously long and active Toronto defense, though, Lillard also finished with a game-high eight assists, drawing extra defenders over and over in pick-and-roll or after breaking the paint in isolation.

It wasn't lost on Billups that Portland's crucial victory came with Lillard looking a lot like his normal self.

“When your best player or best players don't shoot it well and your team depends on shotmaking, you just can't [overreact],” he said.

Lillard even stands apart from McCollum in that regard. Why? The jolt of energy and inspiration Lillard's splashes from deep provide Portland's home crowd and his teammates on the floor.

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“When Dame is shooting well, like I said up here I don't know how many nights ago, his shots are just so loud,” Billups said. “Not only in this building, but for his teammates. When he makes those shots, everybody just gains a lot of confidence.”

The loudest of Lillard's three triples came shortly after the Raptors used a quick 9-0 run to cut Portland's double-digit lead to four with a few minutes left.

It wasn't just the timeliness or difficulty of Lillard's step-back that harked back to what the Blazers can be at their best. McCollum's incredible block on Scottie Barnes at the other end that led to it seemed like an emotional turning point Portland could build on.

Billups obviously won't be counting on McCollum's defense at the rim for success going forward. But the rookie coach will absolutely count on he and his teammates engaging in that type of effort consistently, especially after calling Portland out following Sunday's loss to the depleted Denver Nuggets.

If they can manage it while getting nightly production from Lillard and McCollum befitting their status as stars, maybe the Blazers' recent struggles will prove merely an obstacle on the path to another solid regular season.