Lillard goes for 59 as Portland rolls
Damian Lillard scored a franchise-record 59 points and matched his career high with nine three-pointers to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the visiting Utah Jazz 101-86 on Saturday night.
Lillard surpassed Damon Stoudamire’s previous record of 54 points with a step-back threepointer. The crowd on its feet, he raised his arms in celebration then pounded his chest.
The win put the Blazers 1½ games ahead of the Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with two games left for Portland and three for Denver. The Trail Blazers own the tie-breaker edge.
It was Lillard’s 27th game with 30 or more points this season, a franchise high.
Gordon Hayward had 21 points for the Jazz, battling with the Los Angeles Clippers for the fourth spot in the West and home-court advantage. Before the loss to the Blazers, Utah had won five of its previous six.
Nets 107, Bulls 106: Dwyane Wade returned but Chicago sustained a potentially costly loss in Brooklyn as it fell into a tie with Miami for the final playoff spot in the East. The 35-year-old headed to the bench for a rest during his first game in nearly a month and watched a six-point lead collapse. Spencer Dinwiddie made four free throws in the final 13.6 seconds for the Nets. The Bulls own the tiebreaker with the Heat. Celtics 121, Hornets 114: Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points, and Boston remained in contention for the No. 1 seed in the East. The Celtics, who have two games left, pulled a halfgame behind Cleveland, which has three. Clippers 98, Spurs 87: DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead visiting Los Angeles to its fifth straight victory and preserve its hopes of hosting a first-round playoff series. Doc Rivers tied Mike Dunleavy for the franchise record with his 215th regular-season victory, and the Clippers moved into a tie for the fourth seed with Utah. Heat 106, Wizards 103: Hassan Whiteside scored 30 points and James Johnson hit a layup with 11 seconds left to move visiting Miami into a tie for the eighth seed in the East. Bucks 90, 76ers 82: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as Milwaukee clinched a playoff berth. The host Sixers shot 22 percent from the floor in the third quarter and 29.7 percent in the second half. Pacers 127, Magic 112: Paul George scored 37 points to move Indiana a game ahead of Chicago and Miami for seventh in the East. Indiana’s starting frontcourt of George, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner was a combined 20-of-24 in the first half in Orlando.