Durant Passes Chamberlain On NBA Scoring List As Blazers Beat Rockets

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An action-packed NBA night featured milestones and late drama, as the Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder all claimed narrow wins that will interest basketball followers across the Middle East, highlighted by Kevin Durant moving past Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list and Giannis Antetokounmpo making decisive defensive plays against LeBron James.

The Trail Blazers stretched their season-long winning streak to five with a 111-105 home victory over the Houston Rockets, powered by 25 points from Toumani Camara, while Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija supported with 20 points each as Portland held off a late push by Houston led by Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson.

Durant delivered 30 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for Houston, and stepped higher on the NBA scoring chart when a third-quarter 3-pointer moved Durant past Wilt Chamberlain into seventh place; Durant entered needing 15 points to pass Chamberlain’s 31,419 career total, then a jumper with 7:57 left in the third lifted Durant to 31,422.

Portland still had to finish strongly, and Avdija became central late, drilling a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 99-98 with 3:54 remaining before sinking four consecutive free throws that turned the score to 102-99 with 2:43 left, and though Thompson had 24 points, nine rebounds and a dunk to bring it back to 102-101, Sidy Cissoko’s dunk pushed Portland ahead 107-103 and the hosts controlled the closing possessions.

The main performances and scorelines from the three NBA matchups are summarised below for quick reference.

In Milwaukee, the Bucks surrendered a fourth-quarter advantage but still beat the Los Angeles Lakers 105-101, with the final minute decided by Antetokounmpo’s defence on James and key free throws from Kevin Porter Jr. as Milwaukee recorded a fifth win from seven games and finally beat a team holding a winning record for the first time since 11 December.

James produced 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, yet Antetokounmpo altered the final plays, blocking a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds remaining, after which Porter converted two free throws to break a tie, and when Antetokounmpo knocked the ball from James’s hands from behind with two seconds left, Porter added two more from the line to seal the result.

Antetokounmpo closed with 21 points, the lowest scoring output since returning from a right calf strain, but contributed heavily in other areas, while Porter totalled 22 points and drew a crucial foul from Luka Doncic on a 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds left, which completed a frustrating night for Doncic, who had 24 points, nine assists and 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers, marking a lowest scoring game since Christmas during a stretch where Los Angeles has dropped six of 10.

NBA results: Thunder rally again to beat Grizzlies

The Oklahoma City Thunder, missing several core players, produced another comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies, overturning a 21-point second-half deficit to win 117-116 as Jalen Williams scored 26 points, Kenrich Williams added 21 including the decisive 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining, and Ajay Mitchell supplied 23 points to extend Oklahoma City’s winning streak over Memphis to 16 games, including last season’s first-round playoff sweep.

Memphis relied on Jaren Jackson Jr., who delivered 23 points and seven rebounds, with GG Jackson adding 18 points and Santi Aldama contributing 15, yet the Grizzlies fell to a run of six defeats in seven outings, unable to stop Oklahoma City’s surge that began when the Thunder trimmed the gap to 80-68 midway through the third quarter during a 15-6 burst while shooting 61% in that period and entering the fourth trailing 94-81.

The Thunder operated without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, among others, as Hartenstein continued to sit out with a soleus strain and Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Cason Wallace were unavailable after featuring in Wednesday’s 129-125 overtime defeat against Utah, yet the rotation players supplied enough energy and shooting accuracy in the final quarter to maintain Oklahoma City’s dominance over Memphis.

The night’s NBA results combined individual milestones, defensive highlights and resilience from short-handed squads, as Durant’s rise on the all-time scoring list, Antetokounmpo’s crucial stops against James and the Thunder’s extended dominance over Memphis all shaped a slate of close games that will interest basketball followers tracking form and momentum across the league.