NBA roundup: Damian Lillard erupts for 71 in Blazers' win

 

[February 27, 2023]  Damian Lillard put on a memorable show and established career highs of 71 points and 13 3-pointers to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 131-114 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

The 71 points tie for eighth most in NBA history. Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers also scored 71 earlier this season. Only Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain (five times, high of 100), Kobe Bryant (81) and David Thompson (73) have scored more points in an NBA game. Lillard scored 41 of his points before the break, the most first-half points by a player in franchise history.

Jerami Grant added 13 points and Nassir Little scored 11 for Portland, which connected on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts and was 20 of 39 from 3-point range.

Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Jae'Sean Tate also scored 17 points for Houston, which has lost nine straight games and 29 of its last 33.

Lakers 111, Mavericks 108

Anthony Davis scored 30 points with 15 rebounds and LeBron James added 26 points as visiting Los Angeles won the battle of dynamic duos with a victory over Dallas.

The Mavericks had Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the court together for the fourth time, but fell to 1-3 with the newly-formed partnership. Doncic scored 26 points with nine rebounds, while Irving had 21 points and 11 assists.

Dallas failed to protect a 27-point first-half lead while losing for the fourth time in its last five games. After the Mavericks pulled within 109-108 on a 3-pointer from Justin Holiday with 6.5 seconds remaining, the Lakers' Dennis Schroder made two free throws for the final margin, with Irving missing a half-court shot at the buzzer.

Nuggets 134, Clippers 124 (OT)

Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and host Denver beat Los Angeles in overtime.

Jamal Murray scored 21 points and added 12 assists, Bruce Brown scored 13 points and Aaron Gordon added six in his return to the lineup after missing five games with a rib injury.

Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points to lead Los Angeles. Paul George added 23 points, Russell Westbrook 17, Nicolas Batum 12 and Bones Hyland 10 against his former team. Mason Plumlee grabbed 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who fell in overtime for the second time in three nights.

Bucks 104, Suns 101

Jrue Holiday scored 33 points, Brook Lopez recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds and Milwaukee rallied despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, picking up its 14th consecutive win in a decision over visiting Phoenix.

Antetokounmpo was a scratch from the lineup, stemming from exiting Milwaukee's win over the Miami Heat on Friday with a quad contusion. Despite playing without the 31.2 points-per-game scorer, the Bucks led Sunday's rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals for the entirety of the second and third quarters -- but never by more than 11 points.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 24 points. Deandre Ayton scored the last of his 22 points on a layup with 5:47 remaining, giving the Suns their biggest lead. Ayton also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

Bulls 102, Wizards 82

DeMar DeRozan scored 11 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and Zach LaVine added 27 points to help host Chicago defeat Washington for its second straight victory.

Coby White scored 17 points for the Bulls, who led by as many as 21 points. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 13 rebounds for his 39th double-double of the season, third most in the NBA.

Bradley Beal had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Washington. Daniel Gafford had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Delon Wright (14 points) and Kyle Kuzma (10) also scored in double figures. Washington has lost two straight, as its lead over Chicago for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament shrank to a half-game.

Feb 26, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) prepares to shoot a free throw during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks 129, Nets 127

Trae Young scored 34 points and sank the game-winner at the buzzer to lift Atlanta to a win over visiting Brooklyn for its second straight win.

Young, who also had eight assists, was one of three Hawks with 20-plus points, joining Dejounte Murray with 28 and Bogdan Bogdanovic with 22.

Cam Johnson led Brooklyn with 27 points. Mikal Bridges scored 24, Cam Thomas had 22 and Spencer Dinwiddie added 20 points and eight assists. The Nets have lost two straight and four of their last five games.

Cavaliers 118, Raptors 93

Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 35 points in the first half, and host Cleveland defeated Toronto for the first time in four games this season.

Mitchell shot 13-for-21 from the field, including 8-for-12 from 3-point range. Jarrett Allen added 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Cavaliers ended their three-game losing streak. Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists.

Pascal Siakam scored 25 points for the Raptors, who had their four-game winning streak, a season high, come to an end. Jakob Poeltl added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who were coming off a win over the host Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

Kings 124, Thunder 115

De'Aaron Fox scored 33 points and Keegan Murray added 20 as visiting Sacramento led wire-to-wire in a win over Oklahoma City.

Trey Lyles scored 16 points and Domantas Sabonis tallied 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Sacramento, which moved a season-best 10 games over .500 with its third straight win. Malik Monk scored 12 points and Harrison Barnes chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

Isaiah Joe scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City, while Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey had 18 apiece. Jalen Williams added 15, and Lindy Waters III scored a season-high 12.

Warriors 109, Timberwolves 104

Donte DiVincenzo broke a late tie with a 3-pointer, Klay Thompson saved eight of his team-high 32 points for the final 6:11 and Golden State came on strong at the end to catch and pass Minnesota en route to a victory in San Francisco.

Thompson, who had 42 points and 12 3-pointers Friday against the Houston Rockets, shot 6-for-14 on threes this time en route to his ninth 30-point outing of the season. DiVincenzo chipped in with 21 points, including four 3-pointers on a night where the Warriors went 15-for-42 from beyond the arc. He also had eight rebounds and team highs in assists with five and steals with four.

Naz Reid, getting the start at center in the absence of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, exploded for a career-best 30 points for the Timberwolves. Reid also found time for a team-high-tying nine rebounds, a game-high five steals and two blocks.

--Field Level Media

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