Damian Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points — tied for the most in the NBA this season — and 13 3-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Lillard tied Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2. Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he’d done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his career record for 3s in a game with 11.
In the final minutes, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting “MVP! MVP!”
Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left.
Lillard had 41 points and eight 3-pointers by halftime. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Damian Lillard became the eight player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game
Lillard scored 71 against the Houston Rockets and hit 13 3-point shots along with 14 free throws
Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses.
Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant’s 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.
Lillard’s 3, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.
Lillard started after resting for Thursday night’s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend.
But Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).
LAKERS 111, MAVERICKS 108
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, including a putback dunk for the late lead, and Los Angeles erased a 27-point deficit to beat Dallas.
LeBron James scored 26 points as the Lakers won their fourth in five games by turning a showcase of stars from a laugher into a thriller that featured 13 lead changes in the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic scored 26 points for the Mavs, but the youngest of the four superstars was limited and frustrated after a 14-point first quarter that sent Dallas on its way to the huge lead.
Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, but didn´t take over in the fourth quarter the way he did in his first victory with Doncic since the trade from Brooklyn – over lowly San Antonio.
Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis reacts after scoring on a slam dunk against the Mavericks
BUCKS 104, SUNS 101
Jrue Holiday scored 33 points, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 on Sunday for their 14th consecutive victory.
The nationally televised game didn´t include Milwaukee´s Giannis Antetokounmpo or Phoenix´s Kevin Durant.
Antetokounmpo was out with a bruised right quadriceps after leaving in the first quarter of the Bucks´ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday. Durant has yet to appear in a game for the Suns and hasn´t played since Jan. 8 because of sprained right medial collateral ligament.
Lopez had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, and Khris Middleton added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 and Chris Paul added 18 for Phoenix. Ayton also had 11 rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22)
HAWKS 129, NETS 127
Trae Young sank a buzzer-beating jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to lift Atlanta over Brooklyn a few hours before the Hawks announced they hired Quin Snyder to replace the fired Nate McMillan as coach.
Young finished with 34 points for the Hawks, who recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to overcome four Nets scorers with at least 20 points.
Cam Johnson had 27 points for Brooklyn, including a 3-pointer from the corner to tie it at 127 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Mikal Bridges scored 24 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Cam Thomas added 22 points and Dinwiddie had 20.
Dejounte Murray scored 28 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 22 for Atlanta, which won its second consecutive game under interim coach Joe Prunty after McMillan was fired Tuesday.
Trae Young shoots between Nets forward Mikal Bridges and forward Cameron Johnson
BULLS 102, WIZARDS 82
DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and Chicago overcame its shooting woes from long range to beat Washington.
Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn´t relinquish. Before the consecutive 3s, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.
The Bulls won their second game in a row after losing six straight to close the first half of the season. They finished shooting 8 of 30 from 3-point range, while the Wizards shot only 6 of 28 from long range.
Bradley Beal scored 18 points for the Wizards (28-32), who lost their second consecutive game. They played without forward-center Kristaps Porzingis (sore left knee) and guard Monte Morris (sore lower back).
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards
CAVALIERS 118, RAPTORS 93
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 11 rebounds, sending Cleveland past Toronto.
Mitchell made eight 3-pointers – one shy of his career high – and had six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes as the Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak and remained fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which improved to 26-7 at home this season.
Pascal Siakam paced Toronto with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and nine boards. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed his third straight game for personal reasons.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots against Raptors center Jakob Poeltl
KINGS 124, THUNDER 115
De´Aaron Fox had 33 points and eight assists and Sacramento defeated short-handed Oklahoma City.
Keegan Murray scored 20 points and Domantas Sabonis added 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Kings, who won their third straight. Sacramento defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in two overtimes Friday night in the second highest-scoring game in NBA history. The Kings followed it by shooting 52.9% from the field against the Thunder.
Isaiah Joe scored 24 points and Lu Dort and Josh Giddey each added 18 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder have lost all three of their games since the All-Star break.
Oklahoma City´s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out with right ankle soreness and an abdominal strain. The All-Star leads the Thunder with 31 points per game.
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) goes to the basket in front of Oklahoma City guard Isaiah Joe
WARRIORS 109, TIMBERWOLVES 104
Klay Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and Golden State held off Minnesota.
Donte DiVincenzo put Golden State ahead for good on a 3 with 3:02 left and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also won a jump ball in the final minute.
Kevon Looney grabbed 17 rebounds and has 13 or more in six consecutive games. He finished with 12 points, and his career-best sixth game in a row with double-digit boards was much-needed for a Warriors team still playing without three starters: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
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Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves have lost three straight and four of five.
Warriors Klay Thompson, makes a 3-point basket against Timberwolves Anthony Edwards
NUGGETS 134, CLIPPERS 124
The Denver Nuggets defeated the LA Clippers in a game that required overtime to determine a winner.
Nikola Jokic recorded another triple-double with 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assist. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr both also ended the night with 21 and 29 points respectively.
Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with 33 points, while Paul George was second the team with 23 points.
