Lillard’s 32 points lead Blazers to rout of Cavaliers
Damian Lillard had 32 points and nine assists and Enes Kanter had 18 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to their highest point total of the season and a 141105 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Lillard scored 16 points in the first quarter and 14 points in the third as Portland moved within one-half game of the Mavericks and Lakers for fifth place in the West. The Trail Blazers are seventh and would be the top seed in the playin tournament.
Carmelo Anthony added 16 points off the bench and Jusuf Nurkic had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Portland, which has six games remaining, shot 57.6% from the field and went 5-1 on its longest road trip of the second half of the season. HAW S 135, SUNS 103 >> Clint Capela scored 18 points to lead seven scorers in double figures and Atlanta pulled away late to overcome Devin Booker’s 30 points and rout visiting Phoenix.
The Suns began the night even with the Utah Jazz in the race for the NBA’s best record, thanks to a five-game winning streak. Phoenix faded badly in the fourth quarter of the back-toback following Tuesday night’s 134-118 overtime win at Cleveland. Atlanta outscored Phoenix 38-15 in the fourth period. The Suns’ first field goal of the period was a 3-pointer by Langston Galloway with 2:33 remaining.
76ERS 135, ROC ETS 115 >> Joel Embiid had 34 points in just 25 minutes and Philadelphia extended its winning streak to six games with a victory over the shorthanded Rockets at Houston. The Eastern Conference leaders were up by double figures for most of the night and their starters barely had to play in the fourth quarter to keep the NBA’s longest active winning streak going. Houston, which has the NBA’s worst record at 16-50, lost its third straight and eighth in nine games.
CELTICS 132, MAGIC 96 >> Kemba Walker tied a season high with 32 points in his return from a fourgame injury absence, Evan Fournier had 18 points in his first game back in Orlando since being traded, and Boston routed the Magic.
Jayson Tatum shook off a slow start and finished with 27 points for Boston, which swept the three-game series with the Magic and beat Orlando for a sixth straight time over the past two seasons.
BUC S 135, WIZARDS 134 >> Jrue Holiday scored 29 points as Milwaukee held on to beat Washington. GRIZZLIES 139, TIMBERWOLVES 135 >> Ja Morant had 37 points and 10 assists and Memphis held on to win at Minneapolis. Desmond Bane scored 22 points off the bench, including a few key 3-pointers late, and Kyle Anderson added 20 points for the Grizzlies.
INGS 104, PACERS 93 >> Marvin Bagley III kept Sacramento’s slim playoff hopes alive with a breakthrough game by scoring a season-high 31 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Kings at Indiana.
ROO IE HALIBURTON LI ELY DONE FOR SEASON >> Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Tyrese Haliburton is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a hyperextended left knee. Haliburton suffered the injury in Sunday’s 111-99 road win over Dallas.