Damian Lillard scores last-second 3-pointer to lead Trail Blazers past Bulls, Lakers survive late rally by Celtics: NBA round-up

Elsewhere on Saturday night, Mavericks slumped to their fifth straight defeat and Stephen Curry guided Warriors past Pistons

Damian Lillard is mobbed by teammates after hitting the game-winning three point shot for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Chicago Bulls. AFP

Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer as time expired to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 123-122 win over the host Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Teammates mobbed Lillard after his step-back shot over the outstretched arms of Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen. Lillard finished with 44 points on 15-for-26 shooting, including 8-for-17 from beyond the arc.

Enes Kanter scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Portland, which snapped a two-game skid and avenged a loss against the Bulls earlier in the season. Gary Trent Jr. finished with 18 points for the Blazers.

Markkanen had 31 points and six rebounds to lead Chicago. Zach LaVine added 26 points and seven rebounds.

Los Angeles Lakers 96 - Boston Celtics 95

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis. Reuters

Anthony Davis had 27 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a quad injury, LeBron James scored 21 and Los Angeles survived a late rally by host Boston.

Kemba Walker missed what would have been a game-winning shot for the Celtics with 2.7 seconds left, and Daniel Theis whiffed on the follow up as the Lakers avoided blowing a seven-point lead with 1:40 remaining.

Montrezl Harrell added 16 points for Los Angeles, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Davis had missed the team's matchup in Detroit two nights prior. Jayson Tatum had 30 points and Jaylen Brown scored 28 for Boston, which lost for the fifth time in its last seven games.

Miami Heat 105 - Sacramento Kings 104

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler takes a shot over Sacramento Kings centre Richaun Holmes. Reuters

Jimmy Butler, returning from a 10-game Covid-19-protocol absence, scored 20 of his game-high-tying 30 points in the first half as host Miami defeated Sacramento.

Sacramento had its three-game winning streak snapped despite a productive night from De'Aaron Fox, who had 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. He also had a team-high six assists. Sacramento's Buddy Hield had 18 points but just three in the second half.

Bam Adebayo had 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Heat, who snapped a five-game losing streak, which had been the longest active skid in the NBA. Butler, who passed 10,000 career points early in the game, had a game-high eight assists, seven rebounds and no turnovers in 33 minutes.

Houston Rockets 126 - New Orleans Pelicans 112

Houston Rockets centre Christian Wood. Reuters

Christian Wood scored 27 points, Victor Oladipo added 20 and they led a second-quarter scoring burst as visiting Houston won its fifth consecutive game by beating New Orleans.

Wood and Oladipo each had 16 points during a 48-point second quarter that came a night after the Pelicans withstood a 44-point second quarter to defeat Milwaukee. John Wall finished with 15 points, Eric Gordon had 14 and Jae'Sean Tate added 13 for the Rockets.

Zion Williamson scored 26, Brandon Ingram and Eric Bledsoe added 15 each, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 13 and Jaxson Hayes and rookie Kira Lewis Jr. had 10 each to lead the Pelicans.

Charlotte Hornets 126 - Milwaukee Bucks 114

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. AFP

LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward each scored 27 points and host Charlotte squandered a 20-point lead but recovered to defeat Milwaukee.

Malik Monk tallied 18 points and Graham and Terry Rozier both finished with 12 points for Charlotte, which defeated the Indiana Pacers a night earlier. Miles Bridges added 11 points. Ball, a rookie, had nine assists, while teammate Cody Zeller hauled in 15 boards.

It took plenty to offset Giannis Antetokounmpo's 34-point, 18-rebound, nine-assist outing for the Bucks, who have given up huge point totals in consecutive losses. Antetokounmpo shot 12-for-19 from the field. Jrue Holiday had 21 points and Khris Middleton added 18 points for the Bucks.

Memphis Grizzlies 129 - San Antonio Spurs 112

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. AP Photo

Ja Morant scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists to lead seven players in double figures as Memphis pulled away late to defeat host San Antonio in the first of two games between the squads over a three-day period.

The win was the sixth straight for Memphis, which was playing for the first time since Jan. 18 after having five games postponed because of COVID-19-created limited player availability. And the Spurs were playing the second of a home back-to-back after beating Denver on Friday.

De'Anthony Melton scored a game-high 20 points for Memphis, with Kyle Anderson hitting for 16. Derrick White, in his first action since missing 14 games with a broken toe, paced the Spurs with 18 points, followed by Dejounte Murray with 15 points.

Phoenix Suns 111 - Dallas Mavericks 105

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul. AFP

Chris Paul recorded 29 points, 12 assists and a season-best four steals to help visiting Phoenix register a victory over struggling Dallas.

Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and matched his season best of 17 rebounds for Phoenix, which won its second straight game.

Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder added 14 points apiece and Langston Galloway had 12 points off the bench for the Suns, who defeated Dallas for the fifth straight time.

Golden State Warriors 118 - Detroit Pistons 91

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. AP Photo

Stephen Curry padded his NBA lead with six 3-pointers in a 28-point performance, helping Golden State complete a season-series sweep of Detroit with a shellacking in San Francisco.

Andrew Wiggins complemented Curry with 20 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 18 as the Warriors rebounded from a 114-93 loss at Phoenix with their second-largest margin of victory this season.

Jerami Grant had a team-high 18 points for the Pistons, who suffered their most lopsided defeat of the year.