Trail Blazers 112, Knicks 103
Spurs 124, Pelicans 114
Grizzlies 125, Hornets 118
Kings 123, Wizards 110
76ers 103, Cavaliers 93
Nuggets 110, Raptors 109
Heat 115, Nets 111
Bulls 106, Thunder 101
Warriors 117, Lakers 115
Clippers 99, Mavericks 97
Suns 132, Magic 105
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Klay Thompson scored 16 of his season high 33 points in the final quarter and LeBron James missed a key free throw in the closing seconds as the Golden State Warriors edged the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115 on Saturday.
Thompson hit a trio of late three pointers as the veteran finished five of nine from beyond the arc for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game losing skid.
“That was fun,” said Thompson, who was playing in just his 14th game back after missing over two years thanks to serious injuries.
“No matter how many I miss I always feel confident I will make the next one.”
Thompson said he was proud of his intensive rehab, which allowed him to play at a high level again.
James failed to take advantage of three free throws late that would have tied the game and set the stage for overtime.
Behind 117-114, James ‒ who missed two of six free throws earlier ‒ was fouled and went to the free throw line with two seconds left.
He missed the first of his three shots but made the second, before intentionally hitting the rim on the third ‒ however the Warriors got a piece of the rebound and swatted it out of harm’s way.
LEBRON PASSES
ABDUL-JABBAR
Despite the defeat, James became the highest scoring player in combined regular season and playoff history, surpassing Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James came into Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors needing 19 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar for most combined regular season and playoff points.
Abdul-Jabbar finished his hall of fame career with 44,149 points, including 38,387 in the regular season and 5,762 in the postseason.
James drained a three pointer less than five minutes into the third quarter Saturday for his 21st point of the game and a total of 44,152 which vaulted him past Abdul-Jabbar.
James now sits number three on the all-time regular season scoring list with 36,526 points and number one on the all-time postseason scoring list with 7,657 points
Elsewhere, Anfernee Simons drained a clutch go-ahead three pointer with just over three minutes left, as the Portland Trail Blazers roared back from a 23-point deficit to beat the New York Knicks 112-103.
Simons finished with 30 points and eight assists for the Blazers, who erased the big third quarter deficit before dominating the fourth quarter in front of the packed Moda Center arena.
Newly acquired guard Josh Hart — one of several new Portland players, joining the club in a deal just before Thursday’s trading deadline — poured in 23 points in his Portland debut.
Ben McLemore contributed 17, Jusuf Nurkic posted a double-double with 12 and 20 rebounds, while Justise Winslow chipped in 14 for the Blazers, who won their second straight contest, following a six-game losing streak.
Hart was acquired in a multiple-player deal that sent long-time Blazers guard CJ McCollum to New Orleans, and marked the end of the Portland era of McCollum and Damian Lillard anchoring the guard positions.
– ‘We fell apart’ –
Julius Randle had a team high 28 points and 16 rebounds, while Kemba Walker finished with 23 points for the Knicks, who were outscored 53-21 over the final 16:55.
The Trail Blazers cut the Knicks lead to just six points, 98-92, in the fourth quarter. Nurkic then capped a 20-4 run with a dunk that gave Portland a 99-98 lead with 4:23 left.
Portland shot 47.6 percent from the floor and hit 15 three-pointers.
The Knicks lost starting center Mitchell Robinson to a sprained left ankle in the fourth quarter and Cam Reddish to a sprained right ankle.
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 40 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers over the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-93 on Saturday.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the host Miami Heat sent the Brooklyn Nets to their 11th straight loss with a 115-111 victory on Saturday night.