PORTLAND: Damian Lillard recorded 36 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 125-112 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Lillard made six 3-pointers to tie the NBA record of 33 over a four-game stretch. The mark was originally set by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors from February 22-27, 2016.
CJ McCollum added 22 points and Trevor Ariza tallied 21 as Portland won for the third time in the past four games. Carmelo Anthony collected a season-best 13 rebounds as the Trail Blazers held a 50-39 advantage on the boards.
Houston’s Russell Westbrook scored 39 points, the eighth time in his past nine appearances he has recorded 30 or more points. James Harden had 18 points but shot just 5 of 18. He has made only 69 of 210 shots (32.9 per cent) over his past 10 appearances.
Indiana Pacers 115
Chicago Bulls 106
TJ Warren scored 25 points, and Victor Oladipo drilled a clutch 3-pointer to force overtime in his long-anticipated return from injury as Indiana posted a victory over Chicago in Indianapolis.
In his first action in more than a year after recovering from a right knee injury, Oladipo scored nine points on 2-for-8 shooting in 21 minutes. He delivered the biggest shot of regulation, tying the game at 100 with a deep 3-pointer with 10.3 seconds left. Domantas Sabonis amassed 15 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana. Chicago’s Chandler Hutchison scored a career-high 21 points, and Zach LaVine added 20 as the Bulls saw their two-game winning streak snapped.
Memphis Grizzlies 127
New York Knicks 106
Jae Crowder scored 10 points during a decisive run to open the second half, and visiting Memphis climbed to 500 for the first time this season by beating New York.
Dillon Brooks scored a game-high 27 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Grizzlies, who have gone 11-3 this month to reach 500 (24-24) for the first time since December 31, 2018. Marcus Morris Sr scored 17 points to lead the Knicks.
A brawl nearly broke out with 48.1 seconds left when Crowder stole an inbounds pass by Julius Randle intended for Elfrid Payton, the latter of whom shoved Crowder as he went up for a 3-pointer. Payton was charged with a flagrant-2 and was ejected along with Crowder and the Knicks’ Marcus Morris Sr New York’s Damyean Dotson and Memphis’ Jonas Valanciunas were also issued technical fouls.
San Antonio Spurs 127
Utah Jazz 120
DeMar DeRozan poured in 38 points and Patty Mills added 18 off the bench as short-handed San Antonio surprised visiting Utah.
Murray added 16 points for the Spurs, who snapped a three-game losing streak. San Antonio played for the second straight game without LaMarcus Aldridge (thumb).
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 31 points. Jordan Clarkson added 20, and Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert scored 17 points each for Utah, which has dropped two games in a row. Gobert also grabbed 19 rebounds.
Oklahoma Thunder 120
Sacramento Kings 100
Nerlens Noel converted lob passes from Dennis Schroder into dunks on consecutive possessions during a second-quarter flurry, propelling Oklahoma City over host Sacramento.
Schroder finished with a game-high 24 points to go with nine assists, and rookie Luguentz Dort surprised the Kings with a career-best 23 points, helping the Thunder win for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had a team-high 23 points for the Kings, who saw a two-game winning streak end.
Brooklyn Nets 125
Detroit Pistons 115
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn pulled away to beat Detroit.
Dinwiddie helped the Nets end a four-game home losing streak and win for only the fourth time in their past 17 games. After changing his number from No. 8 to No. 26, Dinwiddie shot 8 of 13 and scored his second-most points as a reserve this season.
Reggie Jackson scored 23 points for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight and fell to the Nets for the second time in five nights. Derrick Rose added 22 points, marking his 13th straight game with at least 20 points, and Christian Wood contributed 20. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
