Portland move to 21-4 for the season, the most wins of any team in the league.
With six games on the NBA schedule on Sunday night, it was left to Damian Lillard to drain a last-second shot in overtime to secure a win for the Portland Trail Blazers to take them to 21 wins for the season.
Despite a spirited comeback from the Detroit Pistons, the Blazers were able to hold them off to move to 21-4, with Lillard scoring 21 points and LaMarcus Aldridge adding 27 in the 111-109 win.
Nevertheless, it was a difficult night for the Western Conference leaders who were forced into overtime by Andre Drummond and Josh Smith, but ultimately they had enough on the offensive end to seal an impressive road win.
“[Rodney] Stuckey did a great job, but they told me that I was going to have to make a double move to get anything off,” Lillard told the media after the game.
“He blocked my first move, and I knew he wouldn’t let me get to the basket, so I just spun off my other shoulder and put up a fadeaway. It felt good when I let it go, but a lot of shots felt good tonight and didn’t go in.”
Although Portland will be delighted with the result, they were unable to find their scoring stroke from Saturday where they hit 21 three-pointers against the Philadelphia 76ers, as they went 7-of-26 on Sunday.
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain perfect at home (12-0) after their 101-98 win over the Orlando Magic.
Kevin Durant led the scoring with 28 points as well as nine rebounds and five assists, but it wasn’t perhaps as comfortable as the Thunder would have hoped for but they did prove that they are capable of winning ugly too.
Russell Westbrook added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists but a late rally from the Magic threatened to ruin their home record with Arron Afflalo scoring 25 points while Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 16 rebounds in another strong performance.
However, it was Oklahoma City who came away with the win and they move to 19-4 for the season and keep the pressure on the Blazers and San Antonio Spurs at the top.
Meanwhile, Rudy Gay put in a sparkling display in his first home game for the Sacramento Kings as he added 26 points in their 106-91 win over the Houston Rockets.
“It makes the game so much easier,” center DeMarcus Cousins (21 points and 10 rebounds) said after the game. “It’s not such a heavy load on me and Isaiah (Thomas) every night, just having another go-to guy.”
Furthermore in terms of individual performances, Kevin Love drained 30 points and added nine rebounds in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 101-93 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
NBA Results:
Houston Rockets 91-106 Sacramento Kings
Minnesota Timberwolves 101-93 Memphis Grizzlies
Portland Trail Blazers 111-109 Detroit Pistons
Orlando Magic 98-101 Oklahoma City Thunder
New Orleans Pelicans 93-102 Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors 102-106 Phoenix Suns
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