When the Portland Trail Blazers extended their lead over the Washington Wizards to 21 points in the third quarter, the game seemed out of reach. The Trail Blazers have been desperate for wins since the All-Star break, but they’d won their last four games.
NBA scores 2017: The Wizards’ comeback win was ridiculous
Markieff Morris got away with stepping out of bounds before his game-winner, Portland’s guards combined for 67 points, and John Wall stole the show.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
A win on Saturday would have brought them closer to reaching the Denver Nuggets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. But the Wizards fought back and made an improbable fourth quarter push to force overtime before coming away with a 125-124 win on the road that included a controversial ending.
Wizards forward Markieff Morris stepped out of bounds shortly before hitting a game-winning jump shot with 0.4 seconds remaining, but officials were unable to review the play because the rulebook does not permit it. Damian Lillard missed a near halfcourt heave on the ensuing possession.
Still, games are not won or lost on the final possession, especially when a team blows a 21-point lead.
John Wall powered Washington with 39 points on 13-of-23 shooting from the field. He finished with nine assists, diming five other players to score in double figures. Bradley Beal also helped pick apart the Trail Blazers defense for 26 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and Washington outscored Portland by 27 with Marcin Gortat on the floor.
The Wizards won despite a monstrous effort from Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who combined for 67 points on 26-of-50 shooting. Skilled big man Jusuf Nurkic got into foul trouble and only posted seven points and seven rebounds, though he was able to block three shots in his 28 minutes on the floor.
Washington (41-24) has been one of the NBA’s hottest teams and is now only 2.5 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed. Portland (28-36) falls to two games behind the Denver Nuggets, clinging onto the West’s eighth seed.
Russell Westbrook moved past Wilt Chamberlain in triple doubles in a season
Westbrook nearly lost his standing averaging a triple-double last week. He responded by blasting the stat sheets on Saturday in a win over Utah.
The MVP candidate posted 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists to record his 32nd triple-double of the season. Doing so, he moved past Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most triple-doubles in a season in NBA history. The only person left to pass is Oscar Robertson — the only player in league history to average a triple-double over an entire season.
LeBron James recorded a career-best ninth triple-double
Russell Westbrook is making headlines for his triple-double rampage this season, but he isn’t the only player stuffing stat sheets. James racked up his ninth triple-double of the season in Cleveland’s 116-104 win over Orlando on Saturday.
His ninth triple-double marks the most he’s had in a season, ever. That’s just another milestone for the King as he presses onward toward repeating as an NBA champion.
Devin Booker hit a buzzer-beater to bury the Mavericks
Some players are just born with the clutch gene, and the jury is still out on Devin Booker. But he made his case for the designation on Saturday, when he drilled his second game-winner of the season over Wesley Matthews.
Booker scored 36 points and scored Phoenix’s last eight points. If that ain’t clutch, what is?
This isn’t NBA but you should see this poster dunk, too
You’ve probably never heard of Deonte Burton. He’s a dunker at Iowa State, and he absolutely obliterated a defender as his Cyclones claimed the Big 12 Tournament championship on Saturday:
If that doesn’t do it for you, here’s another angle:
My goodness.
Saturday’s top performances
Russell Westbrook: 33 points (9-of-26 shooting), 11 rebounds, 14 assists
Westbrook picked up his 32nd triple-double and a win over Utah in the same night. If he keeps it up, he’ll be well on his way to surpassing Oscar Robertson.
LeBron James: 24 points (8-of-14 shooting), 12 rebounds, 13 assists
James picked up his ninth triple double of the season. It’s amazing to think he hasn’t had a season with this many before. It’s also amazing that he’s doing this at 32 years old.
Anthony Davis: 46 points (18-of-31 shooting), 21 rebounds
The Pelicans are still figuring out how to mesh DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis together. Until then, Davis posting video game-like stat lines will help them string some wins together.
John Wall: 39 points (13-of-23 shooting), 9 assists
Wall calmly helped the Wizards erase a 21-point deficit in a comeback victory over Portland.
Devin Booker: 36 points (12-of-20 shooting)
Booker drilled a game winner over Matthews, who’s no shabby defender. If this is a sign of things to come, Phoenix could have a gem on its hands.
Other notables: Karl-Anthony Towns: 35 points (14-of-21 shooting), 14 rebounds, two blocks; Chris Paul: 30 points (20 in the second half)
Final scores
Thunder 112, Jazz 104 [Welcome to Loud City recap | SLC Dunk recap]
Clippers 112, 76ers 100 [Clips Nation recap | Liberty Ballers recap]
Pelicans 125, Hornets 122 OT [The Bird Writes recap | At the Hive recap]
Cavaliers 116, Magic 104 [Fear the Sword recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap]
Bucks 102, Timberwolves 95 [Brew Hoop recap | Canis Hoopus recap]
Heat 104, Raptors 89 [Hot Hot Hoops recap | Raptors HQ recap]
Hawks 107, Grizzlies 90 [Peachtree Hoops recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap]
Suns 100, Mavericks 98 [Bright Side of the Sun recap | Mavs Moneyball recap]
Nuggets 105, Kings 92 [Denver Stiffs recap | Sactown Royalty recap]
Wizards 125, Trail Blazers 124 OT [Blazer’s Edge recap | Bullets Forever recap]
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