Thursday was another record-breaking night in the NBA. Although the Houston Rockets did not win their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, they did break the record for most three-pointers in a single season and LeBron James passed Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time scoring list.
Blazers burn down Rockets
The Portland Trail Blazers are still holding on to the eighth spot in the West after defeating the Houston Rockets 117-107. Damian Lillard had a 31-point, 11-assist double-double, Jusuf Nurkic had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double and Maurice Harkless finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
James Harden led Houston, who now have a record 1083 threes this season, with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Trevor Ariza had 17 points, five rebounds and six steals, while Nene and Lou Williams combined for 28 with 14 points apiece.
Bulls ram Cavaliers
The Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-93 in Chicago. Nikola Mirotic had a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double, Jimmy Butler had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Rajon Rondo ended the game with 15 assists, nine rebounds and seven points.
LeBron James claimed the seventh spot on the NBA’s All-Time Scoring List after his 26-point, 10-rebound double-double, Kyrie Irving had 20 points, and Tristan Thompson had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Clippers shade Suns
The LA Clippers defeated the Phoenix Suns 124-118. Blake Griffin had 31 points and seven rebounds, Chris Paul had a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists, and Jamal Crawford finished with 19 points.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 33 points and nine assists, Marquese Chriss had 20 points and six rebounds, and Tyler Ulis had a 16-point, 13-assist double-double.
Timberwolves devour Lakers
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-104 on the back of Ricky Rubio’s 33-point, 10-assist double-double, Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and nine rebounds, Andrew Wiggins had 27 points and four rebounds, while Senegalese center Gorgui Dieng finished with an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Jordan Clarkson led Los Angeles with 18 points and seven assists, Tarik Black had 15 points and nine rebounds, while D ‘Angelo Russell had 14 points and six assists.
Pistons rip Nets
A 28-point, 13-rebound double-double from Marcus Morris saw the Detroit Pistons pull off a tightly-contested 90-89 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Ish Smith had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kentavious Coldwell-Pope finished with 12 points.
Brooklyn were led by Sean Kilpatrick with 15 points, Rondae Hollis Jefferson had 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jeremy Lin had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
By Kaunda Chama
