Eastern Conference Recaps, Jan. 30: Damian Lillard Scores 42 In Portland Trail Blazers' Win Against Atlanta Hawks
Just hours after he was named Western Conference player of the week, Damian Lillard scored 42 points and a season-high 17 free throws to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 129-125 victory against the Atlanta Hawks. It was his
fifth 40-point game this month and seventh this season with 40 or more.
However, it was Anfernee Simons who hit a tie breaking 3-pointer with 34 seconds left.
“I wasn’t really expecting the ball but I was prepared for it,” said Simons, who finished with 21 points. “Usually, they don’t help off me like that. (DeAndre
Hunter) helped way off and I got pretty much an easy 3 to get off. It was as
easy as it comes.” Dejounte Murray lead the Hawks with a career-high 40 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic led all reserves with 23 points.
NEXT HAWKS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 4 at Miami
OTHER NOTES:
-After being sidelined one game due to an ankle injury, early MVP favorite Luka Doncic had another huge game. He scored 53 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 111-105 win against the Eastern Conference-worst Detroit
Pistons. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 29 points and Saddiq Bey had 18.
NEXT MAVERICKS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Apr. 1 at Miami
NEXT PISTONS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 19 in Detroit
-The Orlando Magic ended the Philadelphia 76ers’ seven-game winning streak with a 119-109 win, led by rookie Paolo Banchero. He scored 29 points and Moritz Wagner had 22 off the bench. Joel Embiid recorded 30 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers and James Harden had 17 points.
NEXT MAGIC GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 11 in Orlando
NEXT 76ERS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 27 in Philadelphia
-With LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined with injuries, the Brooklyn Nets took advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 121-104 win. Kyrie Irving led the way with 26 points and Cam Thomas scored 21 off the bench.
Thomas Bryant led the Lakers with 18 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 10 assists off the bench. Westbrook also moved past Gary Payton for No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time assist list.
“In the NBA, I never dreamt of being in this position, nor getting to the point to where I’m next to some of the greats,” Westbrook said, “and I’m just truly grateful and thankful for an opportunity to keep playing at the highest level and I don’t take any of it for granted.”
NEXT NETS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 15 in Brooklyn
-The Washington Wizards defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-106, their first win in San Antonio since 1999. Deni Avdija led them with 25 points off the bench and Bradley Beal had 21. Keldon Johnson scored 26 for the Spurs and
rookie Jeremy Sochan had 17.
NEXT WIZARDS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Apr. 7 in Washington
-After a back and forth game, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Toronto Raptors
114-106. MIkal Bridges led the way with 29 points while Deandre Ayton had 22. Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 24 points.
NEXT RAPTORS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 28 in Toronto
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia
Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog: https://substack.com/profile/114079068-cory-nelsonutm_source=account-card
