Huge night in the NBA for Damian Lillard who scored a season-high-equalling 71 points as the Blazers brushed aside a lively Rockets team. On a night when all but 1 pre game favourite, it was left to the Lakers to upset the odds with a 2.45 odds, and 3-point win in Dallas.
Houston Rockets 114, Portland Trail Blazers 131
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Trail Blazers, odds 1.22
Line: Trail Blazers (-9.5), odds 1.92 - POR covering a big spread with ease
Total Points: Over (230.5), odds 1.93 - largely thanks to Damian Lillard!
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — 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.
Lillard’s 13 3-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson’s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 3s.
Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain has the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.
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.
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Phoenix Suns 101, Milwaukee Bucks 104
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Bucks, odds 1.65
Line: Suns (+3.5), odds 1.90 - MIL fail to cover the spread
Total Points: Under (231.5), odds 1.93 - under by a long way
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jrue Holiday scored 33 points, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and Milwaukee edged Phoenix for its 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.
LA Lakers 111, Dallas Mavericks 108
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Lakers, odds 2.45 - nice odds win for Lakers
Line: Lakers (+3.5), odds 1.98
Total Points: Under (236.5), odds 1.93 - another game falling well short
DALLAS (AP) — 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.
Brooklyn Nets 127, Atlanta Hawks 129
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Hawks, odds 1.45
Line: Nets (+5.5), odds 1.95 - Atlanta couldn't beat the line
Total Points: Over (234.5), odds 1.95
ATLANTA (AP) — 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.
LA Clippers 124, Denver Nuggets 134 - OT
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Nuggets, odds 1.68
Line: Nuggets (-2.5), odds 1.87 - Nuggets easily beating the line
Total Points: Over (234.5), odds 1.88 - helped by overtime
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Denver to an overtime victory against Los Angeles in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
Paul George nearly won it for the Clippers with an incredible shot at the end of regulation, but his long heave from just in front of the 3-point line in the backcourt came just after the buzzer.
It was the 23rd triple-double of the season for Jokic and his 14th in the past 19 games. Denver is undefeated this season when he has a triple-double.
Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 21 points and 12 assists.
Kawhi Leonard had 33 points to pace the Clippers.
Washington Wizards 82, Chicago Bulls 102
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Bulls, odds 1.43
Line: Bulls (-5.5), odds 1.91 - Bulls breezing past the spread
Total Points: Under (223.5), odds 1.91 - under by miles
CHICAGO (AP) — 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).
Toronto Raptors 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 118
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Cavaliers, odds 1.30
Line: Cavaliers (-7.5), odds 1.91 - Cavs comfortably covering the line
Total Points: Under (218.5), odds 1.88
CLEVELAND (AP) — 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.
Sacramento Kings 124, OKC Thunder 115
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Kings, odds 1.58
Line: Kings (-3.5), odds 1.87
Total Points: Under (239.5), odds 1.91 - under by only half a point!
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — 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.
Minnesota Timberwolves 104, Golden State Warriors 109
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Warriors, odds 1.70
Line: Warriors (-2.5), odds 1.92 - GSW easily beating the spread
Total Points: Under (233.5), odds 1.92 - well under
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — 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.
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.
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By The Associated Press and DJ Arthurs | 02/27/23
Follow DJ Arthurs on Twitter at @DJArthursJourno
