Tuesday 12 February 2019 07:36, UK
Paul George recorded a 47-point triple-double and Russell Westbrook set an NBA record for consecutive triple-doubles as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 120-111 on Monday night.
Paul George had a 47-point triple-double and Russell Westbrook set an NBA record for consecutive triple-doubles as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 120-111 on Monday night.
George's three-pointer with 3:52 to play came on the 10th assist by Westbrook, who clinched his 10th consecutive triple-double. Westbrook finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Going into the game, Westbrook and Wilt Chamberlain were the only players in NBA history with nine consecutive triple-doubles. Chamberlain set the mark in 1968.
However, it was George who drew "MVP" chants as the game wound down, as he contributed 12 rebounds and 10 assists to go along with his point tally.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 31 points, making 8-of-12 from the field in the second half as the Trail Blazers cut what was a 20-point deficit down to as little as five.
Oklahoma City was short-handed, playing without starting forward Jerami Grant and backup point guard Dennis Schroder. The players who took over the majority of the missing regulars' minutes had a big impact early.
Raymond Felton, playing in Schroder's role and appearing in a game for the first time since December 30, scored 15 first-half points on 6-of-7 shooting. Deonte Burton, a rookie getting added playing time off the bench with Grant out, scored a season-high 18 points.
Hampered by a strained left shoulder, James Harden nearly had his streak of consecutive 30-point games come to an end before coming alive down the stretch as the host Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-104.
Harden finished with a game-high 31 points on 9-for-23 shooting and rounded out his stat line with eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
The Rockets relied on a collective effort to build a lead against Dallas, with four others scoring in double figures, including guard Gerald Green, who poured in 19 points in 22 minutes off the bench while drilling 5-of-8 three-pointers.
After the Mavericks sliced what was once a 21-point deficit to 109-100 on a Jalen Brunson three-pointer with 2:52 left to play, Harden drilled back-to-back treys to mute the rally.
Harden added two free throws and then hit another three-pointer with 52.9 seconds left to give him 31 points and extend his streak to 30 games, the third-longest in NBA history.
Eric Gordon scored 18 points, while Chris Paul and Kenneth Faried added 17 apiece for the Rockets. Paul finished with 11 assists, moving past Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton for eighth place in league history.
Dallas rookie forward Luka Doncic posted 21 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists to pace the Mavericks. Brunson tallied 13 points while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 10 on 3-of-11 shooting.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game rest to score a game-high 29 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-99 road victory over the Chicago Bulls.
The win was the Bucks' third straight over the Bulls this season after Milwaukee had taken victories by 19 and three points at home in November.
Antetokounmpo was a healthy scratch from Saturday's 103-83 home loss to Orlando. He returned with his fifth straight game with 29 or more points, a stretch during which he has averaged 33.6 points per game.
Milwaukee retained a 79-71 lead at end of the third quarter, then held on as Chicago closed within 100-97 on two free throws by Lauri Markkanen with 2:55 to play. Eric Bledsoe countered with a three-pointer and added two free throws 55 seconds later to help the Bucks pull away.
Antetokounmpo hit nine of his 13 shots and completed a double-double with a game-high-tying 17 rebounds. He also led the Bucks with eight assists.
Bledsoe (19 points), Malcolm Brogdon (17), Khris Middleton (16) and Ersan Ilyasova (12) also scored in double figures for Milwaukee, who have won six straight on the road.
Zach LaVine had a team-high 27 points for the Bulls, who lost their 11th straight at home. Lauri Markkanen had a 20-point, 17-rebound double-double for Chicago, while Otto Porter Jr had 18 points and Robin Lopez 17.
Kawhi Leonard banked in the go-ahead field goal with 4.2 seconds to play as he scored 30 points and added eight assists to help the Toronto Raptors to a 127-125 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
Marc Gasol added 16 points - 11 in the fourth quarter - for the Raptors, who have won five in a row.
Serge Ibaka added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, Pascal Siakam had 17 points, Kyle Lowry 13 with seven assists and Patrick McCaw also had 13.
D'Angelo Russell had 28 points and 14 assists for the Nets. Joe Harris added 24 points, Allen Crabbe had 22, Jarrett Allen 15 and Shabazz Napier 10.
The score was tied when Gasol, playing his second game for the Raptors after being acquired in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, scored seven of Toronto's first nine points of the fourth quarter as they took a 101-94 lead.
After Brooklyn pulled to within two, Toronto again opened a seven-point lead on Gasol's 20-footer with 6:49 left. But Crabbe later hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game 120-120 with 1:34 remaining.
Russell nailed a three-pointer with 50.2 seconds left and the Nets led by three but Danny Green's triple tied it. Harris missed a short jumper, setting up Leonard's late heroics.
The New York Knicks made an ignoble piece of history as their late comeback fell short in a 107-104 loss to the host Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks, who trailed wire-to-wire but had chances to tie the score or take the lead in the final minute, have lost 17 straight games - the longest single-season losing streak in franchise history.
Collin Sexton scored a team-high 20 points for the Cavaliers while Larry Nance Jr registered a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson had 15 points and Kevin Lowe scored 14 points in 16 minutes, including the first five of Cleveland's game-opening 8-0 run.
Kadeem Allen scored a career-high 25 points off the bench for the Knicks while DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Knox scored 13 points while Dennis Smith Jr and Mitchell Robinson each finished with 10 points.
Luke Kornet's three-pointer with 52.8 seconds left narrowed the Cavaliers' lead to 105-104. Matthew Dellavedova missed a three-pointer on Cleveland's next trip, but Kornet misfired on an open three with 21.8 seconds remaining.
Sexton hit two free throws with 17.3 seconds left and John Jenkins and Smith each missed three-pointers in the final eight seconds.
Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Malik Beasley got hot in the fourth quarter and finished with 23 points as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 103-87.
Monte Morris scored 17 points, and Paul Millsap had nine points and 10 rebounds in his return to the lineup for Denver. Millsap, who missed the previous three games due to ankle soreness, played 20 minutes off the bench.
Justise Winslow had 15 points and James Johnson scored 14 for the Heat. Josh Richardson had 12 points and eight assists.
The game was close in the third quarter until Denver took control with a 16-0 run. Mason Plumlee, who finished with 11 points and three blocked shots, got it going with a short jumper and a dunk. Murray and Will Barton each made a pair of three-pointers to put Denver ahead 75-57.
After Miami scored four straight points, Beasley hit two more three-pointers to push the Nuggets' lead to 94-74 with 7:25 left in the game to finish off the Heat.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a 130-120 win against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
Minnesota's second-leading scorer Derrick Rose returned after missing the past three games with an ankle injury and scored 22 points off the bench. Dario Saric scored 19 points after moving into the starting lineup while Jeff Teague had 19 points and 10 assists.
Lou Williams scored a season-high 45 points off the bench - including 21 in the fourth quarter - for the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and six assists while Landry Shamet finished with 15 points, both in reserve roles.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 23 points midway through the third quarter before cutting the deficit to eight entering the fourth.
Williams got Los Angeles within four on a drive with 6:48 left, but the Clippers couldn't get any closer. They trailed 119-115 with just over four minutes left when the Timberwolves scored six straight points in the paint to go back up by 10 with 2:51 left.
Myles Turner led a balanced attack with 18 points and eight rebounds as the Indiana Pacers won their sixth straight game with a 99-90 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
The Pacers raced to a 20-point lead in the second quarter, weathered a Charlotte comeback that got as close as one point late in the third quarter, and then pushed the lead back to as many as 14 in the fourth quarter.
Indiana's run is the longest active streak for any team in the NBA. The Pacers lost four straight after All-Star Victor Oladipo went down with a ruptured quad on January 23, but they have not lost since.
Joining Turner in double figures were Bojan Bogdanovic with 14, Darren Collison with 13, Tyreke Evans with 12 and Thaddeus Young with 11.
Kemba Walker scored 34 points to lead the Hornets. Walker has scored 30 or more in five straight games, which ties a franchise record held by Glen Rice. The Hornets also got 21 points from Jeremy Lamb and 18 from Cody Zeller.
Trailing 54-38 at half-time, the Hornets then roared back in the third, getting as close as 72-71 before the Pacers pulled back to a 77-71 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Indiana then scored the first eight points of the fourth to push the lead back to 85-71, and the Hornets never seriously threatened again.
Andre Drummond poured in 32 points, one shy of his career high, as the host Detroit Pistons increased their winning streak to four games with a 121-112 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Drummond, who is averaging 26.3 points during the streak, also contributed 17 rebounds and four steals against Washington. Blake Griffin tossed in 31 points with nine rebounds and nine assists for the Pistons, and Reggie Jackson had 16 points.
Bradley Beal had 32 points and 10 assists to lead Washington. Bobby Portis supplied 24 points off the bench, hitting six three-pointers, and Trevor Ariza piled up 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Pistons led 61-59 at half-time then used a 16-4 run to take an 84-73 third-quarter lead.
Jackson made a pair of three-pointers during that span, Drummond supplied a lay-up and a dunk, and recently acquired Thon Maker drilled a corner trey. Kennard finished the outburst with another triple.
Portis knocked down a corner three-pointer to pulls the Wizards within eight points with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Detroit put the game away at the foul line.
