Damian Lillard scored 34 points, dished 11 assists, and made the decisive 3-pointer as the Portland Trail Blazers weathered 44 points from Luka Doncic to beat the host Dallas Mavericks 121-118 on Sunday.
Dorian Finney-Smith (14 points) knocked down a 3-pointer on one of Doncic’s nine assists with 49.5 seconds remaining, forcing a tie at 116. His basket set the stage for Lillard’s go-ahead 3-pointer, a top-of-the-key step-back in isolation with Finney-Smith defending with 32.8 seconds left.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Mavericks, while extending the Trail Blazers’ own streak to four games. The win kicks off a swing of three consecutive road games, and six of seven away from home for Portland.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 17 points for the Blazers and Robert Covington added 15 along with four steals. Porzingis scored 18 points for Dallas and matched Kanter’s game-high with eight rebounds.
Denver Nuggets 122 – Los Angeles Lakers 105
Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, Jamal Murray scored 25, and host Denver ended Los Angeles’ seven-game winning streak.
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Zeke Nnaji had 16 points, Facundo Campazzo scored 15 and Monte Morris and Paul Millsap had 10 each for the Nuggets.
LeBron James had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Los Angeles, which lost forward Anthony Davis when he aggravated a right Achilles injury. Davis left with 2:39 left in the second quarter after he bumped legs with Jokic. He left with tendonosis of the right Achilles, and ESPN reported he will have an MRI done Monday.
Oklahoma City Thunder 114 – Milwaukee Bucks 109
Justin Jackson had a season-high 22 points to lead host Oklahoma City over Milwaukee.
Jackson hit all four of his 3-point attempts, helping Oklahoma City snap a three-game losing streak. Darius Bazley assisted on the final Jackson 3-pointer for the 32nd assist by the Thunder. Al Horford scored 20 points and led the Thunder with nine assists.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 24 points while Khris Middleton added 23 and Bobby Portis 21 as Milwaukee dropped its third consecutive game.
Washington Wizards 104 – Boston Celtics 91
Bradley Beal poured in a game-high 35 points and Washington held Jayson Tatum to a season-low six points in an easy win over visiting Boston.
Russell Westbrook chipped in with 13 points and a game-high 11 assists, missing a triple-double by one rebound, as the Wizards ended a two-game losing streak that had opened a five-game homestand.
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Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown recorded 25 points apiece for the Celtics, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games. Tatum shot just 3-for-14 overall and 0-for-2 on 3-pointers in 23 minutes en route to his lowest point total since last July 31.
Phoenix Suns 109 – Orlando Magic 90
Devin Booker followed up on a 36-point performance on Saturday with a game-high 27-points one day later, helping Phoenix ease away from injury-plagued and road-weary Orlando.
Mikal Bridges chipped in with 21 points while Deandre Ayton put up a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double in his head-to-head matchup with Nikola Vucevic as the Suns won their sixth straight.
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Vucevic had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who were coming off a hard-fought split at Golden State and Sacramento on Thursday and Friday, respectively, despite suiting up no more than 10 players in either.
San Antonio Spurs 122 – Charlotte Hornets 110
Dejounte Murray scored 26 points and collected 12 rebounds and was at his best in the pivotal fourth quarter to help lead visiting San Antonio to a win against Charlotte.
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Derrick White posted a season-high 25 points for the Spurs, who have won five of their past six games, including the first two on their seven-game annual Rodeo Road Trip. Keldon Johnson added 18 points for San Antonio.
The Hornets’ Terry Rozier led all scorers with 33 points. Malik Monk poured in 23 off the bench while LaMelo Ball added 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Rozier, who had 41 points in the Hornets’ win over Minnesota on Friday, has averaged 36.0 points over his past three games.
Detroit Pistons 123 – New Orleans Pelicans 112
Mason Plumlee notched his first triple-double in the 557th game of his career, Josh Jackson scored a team-high 21 points and host Detroit downed New Orleans.
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Plumlee had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Pistons won back-to-back games for the first time since January of last season. Svi Mykhailiuk supplied 18 points and Delon Wright contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Pistons rested starting forward Blake Griffin.
Zion Williamson, coming off a career-high 36-point outing, had 26 points and eight rebounds for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram also scored 26 with seven assists and Steven Adams added 13 points and 12 rebounds, but the Pelicans lost their third straight.
Los Angeles Clippers 128 – Cleveland Cavaliers 111
Lou Williams had season highs with 30 points and 10 assists, and short-handed Los Angeles won its third consecutive contest in pounding visiting Cleveland.
Serge Ibaka added 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, who played without Kawhi Leonard (lower leg contusion) and Paul George (foot). George missed his fifth consecutive game.
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Collin Sexton scored 22 points and Darius Garland and Cedi Osman each scored 20 for the Cavaliers, who lost their seventh in a row. Jarrett Allen collected 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Memphis Grizzlies 124 – Sacramento Kings 110
Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting and collected 13 rebounds to help Memphis cruise to a victory over host Sacramento.
Dillon Brooks scored 22 points and Kyle Anderson added 17 to go with a season-best four steals as the Grizzlies won for just the second time in the past seven games. Ja Morant contributed 16 points and 10 assists.
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De’Aaron Fox recorded 23 points and nine assists for the Kings after missing one game due to a knee injury. Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points, Cory Joseph matched his season best of 16 points and Richaun Holmes had 13 for Sacramento, which lost its third consecutive game.
–Field Level Media