Damian Lillard delivered 39 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as Portland Trail Blazers breezed past the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves 135-117 in NBA action on Thursday.
C.J. McCollum tallied 20 points and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for Trail Blazers, who snapped a two-game skid and posted its highest-scoring effort of the season.
Harris lifts Nets
Elsewhere, Joe Harris scored a team high 28 points as the short-handed Brooklyn Nets snapped Philadelphia 76ers' five-game NBA winning streak with a 122-109 victory.
Caris LeVert scored 22 points and had 10 assists as the Nets cooled off the NBA's hottest team despite missing their two top players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant sat out due to Covid-19 protocols and Irving missed due to "personal reasons".
Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had quiet nights for the 76ers. Embiid scored 20 points on seven-of-14 shooting while Simmons had just 11 points. Shake Milton started in place of injured Seth Curry and led the Sixers with 24 points and seven assists.
Curry tests positive
Curry, who made the trip with the team, was reported after the game to have returned a positive test for coronavirus, forcing the Sixers to remain overnight in New York so they can conduct further testing to see if the virus has spread to any of the other players.
In Memphis, Andre Drummond posted game-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds, Larry Nance Jr. added 18 points as Cleveland Cavaliers defeated host Memphis Grizzlies 94-90.
The results: Denver Nuggets 117 lost to Dallas Mavericks 124; Brooklyn Nets 122 bt Philadelphia 76ers 109; LA Lakers 109 lost to San Antonio Spurs 118; Portland Trail Blazers 135 bt Minnesota Timberwolves 117; Memphis Grizzlies 90 lost to Cleveland Cavaliers 94.
