Lillard breaches 15K-point barrier as Blazers whip Warriors; Lakers repel Spurs

MANILA, Philippines – Damian Lillard fashioned out a historic performance against the Golden State Warriors to usher in 2021 in the NBA on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

Lillard tallied 34 points and eight assists in Portland's 123-98 whopping of Stephen Curry and Golden State, breaching the 15,000-point mark and moving up to 19th all-time in 3-point shots made in league history.

Behind Lillard, Carmelo Anthony also had a career night against the Warriors after he passed Tim Duncan for 14th place in the league’s all-time scoring list.

The 36-year-old veteran tallied 18 points in the Blazers' victory.

Meanwhile, the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers fended off a pesky San Antonio Spurs side, 109-103, to improve to 4-2.

The Lakers were able to pull away in the final salvo where they outscored the Spurs, 28-18, to avoid the upset axe.

Anthony Davis top-scored for the Lakers with 34 points to go along with his 11 rebounds and five assists.

LeBron James, for his part, finished with a triple-double performance of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, tallied their fourth straight victory to begin the season with a 5-1 slate after beating the Denver Nuggets, 106-103.

Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, Chris Paul scored more than 20 points each to lift the Suns to the victory.

The Nuggets were without Michael Porter Jr., who is expected to miss multiple games due to COVID-19 protocol.

In the other games, the Utah Jazz handed the Los Angeles Clippers their second loss of the season after a 106-100 victory.

Mike Conley Jr. posted a team-high 33 points to push the Jazz over the Clippers while Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson chipped in nine points, five boards and two assists off of the bench.

The Washington Wizards, for their part, tallied their first win of the season after a 0-5 start, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 130-109.

Sans-Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal paced the Wizards on offense with 31 points, with big man Thomas Bryant scattered 18.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet in the Milwaukee Bucks' 126-96 whopping of the Chicago Bulls.

Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks in the Bucks' bounce-back win after losing to the Miami Heat in their last game.

The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, improved to 4-1 after overwhelming the Brooklyn Nets, 114-96.

Trae Young and the Hawks handed the Nets their third loss and dropped them to an even 3-3 win-loss slate.

Young finished with 21 points and among three Hawks who passed the 20-point mark in the winning effort.

In the other games of the day, the Dallas Mavericks took their second win of the season at the expense of the Heat, 93-83.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Detroit Pistons also tallied victories after beating the Charlotte Hornets, and the Boston Celtics, respectively.