Portland Trail Blazers' point guard Damian Lillard (front R) is swarmed by his teammates after making a game-winning three-point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Tuesday. — Reuters CLEVELAND — Damian Lillard's eighth three-pointer came in the nick of time, lifting the surging Portland Trail Blazers to a dramatic 119-116 NBA victory over Cleveland Tuesday. The basket proved to be the fourth game-winner of the season for Lillard, who delivered 36 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Blazers — who posted their fifth straight victory and their ninth in 10 games. Portland led by 10 with two minutes left to play, but Kyrie Irving keyed a Cavs rally that saw the hosts pull level with 7.1 seconds left. Lillard, however, had the last word, dribbling most of the time off the clock and firing over Alonzo Gee for the basket. Irving's last gasp long-range effort bounced off the rim as Cleveland's four-game home winning streak ended. He and Dion Waiters scored 25 points each to lead the Cavaliers, Irving also handing out 10 assists in the defeat. Portland also received 26 points and 15 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge, 19 points from Wesley Matthews and 14 points and nine rebounds from Nicolas Batum. Thunder 105, Nuggets 93: Kevin Durant scored 30 points, guard Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed their winning streak to seven with a victory over the Denver Nuggets. Forward Serge Ibaka had 17 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which has won 14 of 15. The Thunder (20-4) moved to within a half-game of red-hot Portland (21-4) in the Northwest Division. Center J.J. Hickson had 20 points and 14 rebounds and guard Ty Lawson had 17 points and 13 assists for the Nuggets (14-10). Lakers 96, Grizzlies 92: In game six of Kobe Bryant's return from Achilles tendon surgery, Bryant matched his season high with 21 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers (12-13) split their four-game road trip, and they are 2-4 since Bryant's return. Pau Gasol also scored 21 points with nine rebounds for Los Angeles and guard Nick Young had 18 points off the bench. Zach Randolph had a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, plus five assists, but Memphis (10-14) lost for the fourth time in a row. Bobcats 95, Kings 87: Kemba Walker sank four 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a three-game losing streak. The Bobcats (11-14) led by 18 in the first half but needed an 11-1 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull away for good after Sacramento got as close as two. Center DeMarcus Cousins had a monster game for the Kings (7-16) with 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Newly acquired Sacramento forward Rudy Gay left the game in the third quarter with stiffness in his left knee. He finished with four points in 24 minutes. Warriors 104, Pelicans 93: The Golden State Warriors celebrated the return of Andre Iguodala with a dominating win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors (14-12) lost three of four coming in and seven of 12 since Iguodala suffered a hamstring strain Nov. 20. Iguodala had only two points and two assists in 17 minutes, while Stephen Curry led the team with 28 points. — Agencies
