The Golden State Warriors continued their slide on Thursday as the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted them in overtime. Damian Lillard knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Trail Blazers the victory. Portland outscored Golden State 8-7 in the extra period.
Also on Thursday, the Houston Rockets continued their recent winning ways against the Boston Celtics. Thanks to yet another monster performance from reigning NBA MVP James Harden (45 points, six assists), the Rockets got their eighth win in their last nine games, and continued to climb up the standings in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were without LeBron James for the first time this season as they took on the Kings. James, who suffered a left groin strain on Christmas Day against Golden State and expected to miss several games, could only watch as his team drop a tough one to Sacramento, 117-116.
NBA scores for Thursday, Dec. 27
*All times Eastern
- Houston Rockets 127, Boston Celtics 113 (Box Score)
- Milwaukee Bucks 112, New York Knicks 96 (Box Score)
- Sacramento Kings 117, Los Angeles Lakers 116 (Box Score)
- Portland Trail Blazers 110, Golden State Warriors 109 -- OT (Box Score)
- Philadelphia 76ers 114, Utah Jazz 97 (Box Score)
NBA schedule for Friday, Dec. 28
*All times Eastern
- Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat, 8 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. (Game tracker) -Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. (Game tracker) -Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns, 9 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (Game tracker) - Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
Dame drops Warriors
Dame Lillard is clutch, and the Warriors learned that the hard way on Thursday night, as the All-Star guard buried a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of overtime to propel the Blazers to an impressive win.
Damian Lillard's 3 wins it for the @trailblazers! #RipCity pic.twitter.com/0Erm6eLJRg
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2018
Bogdanovic sinks Lakers
Things ended in a disappointing manner for the away team in Sacramento on Thursday night, as Kings forward Bogdan Bogdanovic buried a step-back 3-pointer as time expired to propel the Kings to a comeback win over the LeBron-less Lakers.
Bogdan Bogdanovic steps back for the #TissotBuzzerBeater! #ThisIsYourTime pic.twitter.com/6EcVYHBSsb
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2018
Embiid does work against the Jazz
Joel Embiid did some serious work early on against the Utah Jazz, as he finished the first half with 15 points and seven rebounds. Embiid's play -- on both ends of the floor -- has been key to the Sixers' success this season, and that was no different in Utah.
Joel Embiid (15 PTS, 7 REB) put in work in the first half! 💪#HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/Dvs4JpwiZ4
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 28, 2018
Gianns leads Bucks past Knicks
Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his MVP-caliber play against the Knicks on Thursday night as he dropped 31 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out eight assists to help lead the Bucks to a 112-96 win. With under two minutes left in the game, Antetokounmpo threw down an alley-oop from Khris Middleton that served as an exclamation point on the win.
THE KING OF NEW YORK!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/XuaccjJQiq
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 28, 2018
Pain tolerance will determine when Rondo returns
Lakers guard Rajon Rondo recently returned to the court after suffering a broken hand earlier this season. However, Rondo suffered a right ring finger sprain on Christmas Day and is now out of the lineup. On Thursday, head coach Luke Walton confirmed that Rondo could be out for a few more days or for "awhile." It's going to depend on how Rondo can deal with any type of pain that he might have as he works his way back from the injury. Rondo had played in the team's last three games after missing 17 consecutive games.