GRIZZLIES CAN’T STOP RED-HOT LILLARD
Damian Lillard had 42 points and 10 assists, Anfernee Simons added 26 points and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-112 on Wednesday night.
Jerami Grant had 18 points in the first half before leaving because of concussion symptoms. Portland outscored host Memphis 3822 in the fourth quarter to win for the fourth time in five games.
“I think we’ve had a couple of quality wins,” Lillard said. “This was the best team we’ve come up with a win against, especially as of late.”
Portland was able to rally late despite losing two starters — Jusuf Nurkic and Grant — to injuries in the first half. There were key stops down the stretch, and the Trail Blazers defense kept Memphis shooting at 39 percent, including converting only 1 of 7 shots from 3point range in the fourth quarter.
“I knew I needed to be a little more aggressive just to give ourselves a chance,” Simons said. “Everybody else played well and everybody was ready to play.”
Ja Morant had 32 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points and six blocks, and Desmond Bane had 17 points.
Lillard, who had five games of at least 40 points in January, continued the trend, converting 11 of 22 shots and 5 of 13 3-pointers. He also missed only one of his 16 free throws.
“They just found a way to get open shots,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “I thought our guys competed. You’ve just got to tip your hat. Lillard’s on a roll right now, and we were on the wrong end of that.”
The teams were tied at 109 with two minutes to play, but Lillard’s 3-pointer and Simons’ layup was good on Morant’s goaltending. When Drew Eubanks converted a three-point play on a dunk, Portland led 117-109 with just under a minute left.
Celtics 139, Nets 96: Jayson Tatum had 31 points and nine rebounds and NBA-leading Boston rolled past visiting Brooklyn.
Jaylen Brown added 26 points as both of Boston’s
stars hit seven 3-pointers in a game the Celtics never trailed and led by 49 points. Boston dominated on both ends of the floor, shooting 60 percent through three quarters on the way to its largest victory of the season.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Cam Thomas added 19 for Brooklyn.
76ers 105, Magic 94: Joel Embiid had 28 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden added 26 points and 10 assists and host Philadelphia beat Orlando.
Embiid, the NBA scoring leader, made all 10 of his free throws and was 9-of-17 shooting overall.
Timberwolves 119, Warriors 114 (OT): D’Angelo Russell scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Anthony Edwards took over in overtime after Russell fouled out and Minnesota outlasted visiting Golden State.
Stephen Curry had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State. Jordan Poole added 18 points, and Draymond Green had 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Warriors had won three in a row.
Kings 119, Spurs 109: Domantas Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points and had 11 rebounds and Sacramento handed host San Antonio its seventh straight loss.
De’Aaron Fox added 31 points for Sacramento. The Kings have won two straight and nine of 12.
Rockets 112, Thunder 106: Eric Gordon had a season-high 25 points and rookie Tari Eason added a careerhigh 20 and matched his career high with 13 rebounds to help Houston beat visiting Oklahoma City.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points for Oklahoma City.
Jazz 131, Raptors 128: Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 13 rebounds and Mike Conley added a threepoint play and two clutch free throws in the closing minutes to lift host Utah.
Toronto’s Fred VanVleet had his second career tripledouble with 34 points, a career-best 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Jazz overcame that effort by shooting 53 percent and making key play after key play down the stretch.
Hawks 132, Suns 100: Dejounte Murray scored 21 points, Trae Young added 20 and visiting Atlanta never trailed.
Mikal Bridges led the Suns with 23 points.
Wizards at Pistons: Postponed, weather.
Tuesday’s late result
Nuggets 122, Pelicans 113: Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and Denver held off visiting New Orleans. Jokic finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists and Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers.