Carmelo Anthony made two free throws with 3.1 seconds left to break a tie and cap his 17-point fourth-quarter outburst to spark the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-114 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Philadelphia 76ers 114 – 118 Portland Trail Blazers
Anthony, who made his first six shots in the fourth quarter, finished with a season-best 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting as the Trail Blazers won for the fourth time in the past five games.
Damian Lillard added a team-high 30 points despite making just 6-of-21 field-goal attempts for Portland.
Joel Embiid had 35 points and nine rebounds but couldn’t prevent Philadelphia from losing for just the second time in the past eight games. Both setbacks during the stretch are to the Trail Blazers.
Ben Simmons registered 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the 76ers, whilst Tobias Harris scored 17 points and Seth Curry 15.
The 76ers trailed by five late in the contest before Embiid knocked down a free-throw line jumper with 1:01 remaining and Curry drained a three-pointer with 22.1 seconds left to knot the score at 114.
After Anthony was fouled by Harris and hit the tie-breaking free throws, Robert Covington’s steal thwarted the 76ers and Lillard clinched the game by hitting two free throws with 1.4 seconds to play.
Gary Trent Jr scored 19 points, Anfernee Simons had 11 points and Enes Kanter recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds for Portland.
Orlando Magic 105 – 111 Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry saved six of his game-high 40 points for a late 16-0 flurry that propelled the Golden State Warriors out of a fourth-quarter deficit and into a 111-105 victory over the Orlando Magic in San Francisco.
Curry hit 10 three-pointers and 14 of his 26 shots to pace the Warriors, who won their second straight. He also found time for eight…
Read More: NBA round-up: Portland Trail Blazers ride Carmelo Anthony’s huge fourth quarter