Damian Lillard scored a season-high 60 points and moved into sixth place on the all-time 3-pointers list while propelling the Portland Trail Blazers to a 134-124 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Lillard made 9 of 15 3-point attempts to raise his career total to 2,292 treys, passing Vince Carter (2,290) with his eighth make of the contest. It was Lillard’s second 50-point outing of the season and 14th overall in regular-season play.
Lillard was 21 of 29 overall from the field while falling one point shy of his career high, which he set against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 20, 2020 and hit once more in August 2020.
Jerami Grant added 19 points and Anfernee Simons had 16 points and nine assists, which won its second game in a row. Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points and Collin Sexton had 19 for the Jazz, who took their second loss in three games.
76ers 137, Nets 133
Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points, Joel Embiid added 26 points and 10 rebounds and host Philadelphia defeated Brooklyn.
James Harden contributed 23 points, De’Anthony Melton had 19 points and three blocks and Tobias Harris chipped in with 18 points for the Sixers, who won their sixth game in a row. The Sixers went 35 of 36 overall from the free-throw line.
Seth Curry led the Nets with 32 points and Kyrie Irving added 30 points and 10 assists. Nic Claxton had 25 points and 11 rebounds as Brooklyn lost for the fifth time in seven games since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury.
Lakers 113, Spurs 104
LeBron James amassed 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, Anthony Davis added 21 points and 12 rebounds in his return from a right foot injury and host Los Angeles completed a season sweep of San Antonio.
Rui Hachimura scored 12 points in his Lakers debut after he was acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards on Monday. Davis played 26 minutes in just his sixth career game off the bench after missing the past 20 games.
James now has 38,230 career points, leaving him 157 away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. Keldon Johnson scored 25 points and Zach Collins added 16 for the Spurs, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine games and the 11th time in their past 13.
Warriors 122, Grizzlies 120
Jordan Poole converted Donte DiVincenzo’s inbounds pass into a layup with 2.4 seconds remaining, allowing Golden State to survive Stephen Curry’s ejection in a wild finish that resulted in a victory over Memphis in San Francisco.
Curry was ejected in the final two minutes after leading a Golden State rally from a 111-102 deficit with 5:31 to play. Curry had 34 points and Klay Thompson scored 24 for the Warriors, who have alternated losses and wins over their past eight games.
Ja Morant finished with 29 points and 12 assists for the Grizzlies, who have lost four in a row to start a five-game trip. Desmond Bane had 20 points, and Brandon Clarke scored 19.
Bucks 107, Nuggets 99
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 20 points and host Milwaukee beat short-handed Denver.
Pat Connaughton had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 10 points for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo, who turned the ball over nine times, shot 15-for-22 from the foul line and attempted six more free throws than the Nuggets.
Aaron Gordon had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost for just the second time in 12 games. Denver’s Nikola Jokic (hamstring) missed his third game in the past four and Kendavious Caldwell-Pope (wrist), Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal) also did not play.
Raptors 113, Kings 95
Pascal Siakam had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Toronto began a season-high, seven-game trip with a win in Sacramento.
Precious Achiuwa scored 19 points, Fred VanVleet added 17 and Chris Boucher and Gary Trent Jr. added 16 apiece for Toronto, which held the Kings to a season-low point total. O.G. Anunoby had 11 points after missing one game due to an ankle injury.
Kevin Huerter made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead the Kings, who trailed by as many as 20 in the third quarter. Domantas Sabonis finished with nine points and eight rebounds but committed a career-high nine turnovers.
Wizards 108, Rockets 103
Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter as Washington erased a 19-point deficit to win at Houston.
The Wizards extended their modest winning streak to four games while the Rockets lost in their first outing since beating Minnesota on Monday to end their 13-game losing streak.
Bradley Beal recorded 17 points for the Wizards. Deni Avdija (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Kendrick Nunn (12 points, four assists) paced a Washington bench unit that chipped in 37 points. Alperen Sengun (21 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) posted his second career triple-double to lead the Rockets.
Magic 126, Pacers 120
Paolo Banchero’s 23 points led eight Orlando scorers to post at least eight points, and the host Magic – who shot a scorching 53.6 per cent from beyond the arc – led wire-to-wire in a win over Indiana.
Banchero and Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin, the NBA’s top two leading scorers among rookies, both set the pace for their teams. Mathurin went for a game-high 26 points, but Banchero’s Magic came out on top thanks to a strong start.
Gary Harris scored a season-high 22 points for the Magic, who shot 56.1 per cent from the field. Wendell Carter Jr. recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds and Franz Wagner and Markelle Fultz each notched 13 points to give the entire Orlando starting five double figures.
Timberwolves 111, Pelicans 102
Anthony Edwards scored 14 of his game-high 37 points during a pivotal third quarter as visiting Minnesota defeated New Orleans.
D’Angelo Russell added 19 points and Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who used a 39-21 third quarter to take control with a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram returned from a 29-game absence due to a bruised toe to score 13 on 4-of-18 shooting in 26 minutes for the Pelicans, who lost their sixth consecutive game.
Hawks 137, Thunder 132
Trae Young had 33 points and 11 assists to lift Atlanta to a victory over host Oklahoma City.
The Hawks have won six of their last eight but snapped a two-game losing streak. Bogdan Bogdanovic shot 7 of 11 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers, to score 20 points for Atlanta, while Collins added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Clint Capela tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Shea Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting to lead Oklahoma City, which lost for just the third time in its last 10 games. Jalen Williams added 24 points and four steals.
-Field Level Media
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