NBA Results Today (August 11) - Damian Lillard leads Portland Trail Blazers to the 8th seed, Giannis Antetokounmpo gets ejected
Tuesday's slate of NBA games comprised of seven fixtures with the focus once again on the playoffs race in the Western Conference. And the NBA results today did not disappoint with the play-in tournament scenario all set to go down to the wire.
The Phoenix Suns were hopeful of continuing their unbeaten run against the Philadelphia 76ers while the Portland Trail Blazers had the chance to claim the eighth seed against the Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies had another shot at saving their sinking ship against the Boston Celtics.
Without further ado, let us dive into the NBA results from today, August 11th.
#1 Orlando Magic slump to fifth consecutive loss in the NBA bubble
Little was expected of the Brooklyn Nets heading into the NBA restart in Orlando with them missing six regular players due to health issues. And yet on Tuesday, they recorded their third consecutive win, taking their tally to five from seven seeding games.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was once again at the heart of it all, as the 24-year-old recorded his third 20-point outing in the bubble. The Orlando Magic just couldn't get their offense going, shooting at less than 40% from the field.
Final Score: Nets 108-96 Magic (Luwawu-Cabarrot 24 points, 7 rebounds; Fultz 18 points, 5 rebounds)
#2 San Antonio Spurs stay alive in race for NBA Playoffs with win over Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets had the chance to pile the pressure on the third-seeded Denver Nuggets but were without the services of James Harden. The San Antonio Spurs had more on the line, as a loss would put them on the brink of elimination.
Ultimately, Gregg Popovich's side came through and didn't concede the lead once after claiming it late in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan had a good 23-point night but Keldon Johnson stood out with a career-high 24 points.
Final Score: Rockets 105-123 Spurs (Westbrook 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds; Johnson 24 points, 11 rebounds)
#3 Phoenix Suns remain unbeaten against the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers
The Phoenix Suns made the most of the absence of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as they outperformed the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half to win their seventh game in the NBA bubble. Keeping to their theme in the last few games, the Suns started a tad slow but eventually caught up.
In addition to his hard-nosed defense, Mikal Bridges shot at 80% from the field to record 24 points while Devin Booker was his usual self. The Sixers had an unusual playmaker in Kyle O'Quinn for the tie, who was one point shy of recording a triple-double.
Final Score: Suns 130-117 76ers (Booker 35 points, 7 assists, 9 rebounds; O'Quinn 9 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds)
#4 Memphis Grizzlies lose sixth NBA bubble game against the Boston Celtics
The Memphis Grizzlies have dropped to the ninth seed after getting blown out by the Boston Celtics. Memphis led only once throughout the whole game and that was after Jonas Valanciunas scored the first basket to open the scoring.
Both teams had six players scoring in double digits but the Celtics just shot the ball exceptionally well, going over 50% from the field. Ja Morant, who has struggled since the NBA restart, had a huge double-double and even managed to block two shots, but couldn't drag his team across the finish line.
Final Score: Celtics 122-107 Grizzlies (Tatum 29 points, 6 rebounds; Morant 26 points, 13 assists)
#5 Damian Lillard matches career-high to lead Portland Trail Blazers past Dallas Mavericks
Damian Lillard has been going at it on social media recently but continued his exploits on the court as well with a career-best-tying 61 points against the Dallas Mavericks. This was his third 60-point game of the season, making him only the second player besides Wilt Chamberlain to achieve this feat.
Also read:Β 'Shots being fired in my direction, I'm gonna fire back facts' - NBA superstar Damian Lillard
The two teams had a lot of calls against them as both Jusuf Nurkic and Kristaps Porzingis fouled out of the game. The Mavs too had a chance to move up to the sixth spot as Luka Doncic and Porzingis combined for 60 points.
An offensive charge drawn by Lillard gave Portland Trail Blazers the win and catapulted them to the eighth seed in the West with a place in the NBA Playoffs becoming more likely.
Final Score: Trail Blazers 124-121 Mavericks (Lillard 61 points, 8 assists; Doncic 25 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds)
#6 New Orleans Pelicans lose to the Sacramento Kings in dead rubber
The New Orleans Pelicans rested four starters as they dropped their fifth game in Orlando to the Sacramento Kings. Both sides have already been eliminated from the race to the NBA Playoffs making this tie rather redundant.
Although it was a close game, the Kings led for the entirety of the second half as Harrison Barnes shone through with his 25 points. Jahlil Okafor made the most of his extended minutes too, going 9-of-11 from the field.
Final Score: Pelicans 106-112 Kings (Okafor 21 points, 4 rebounds; Barnes 25 points, 8 rebounds)
#1 Washington Wizards lose again in Orlando as Giannis Antetokounmpo gets ejected
In another game with nothing at stake, the Milwaukee Bucks set the pace for the entire night as they gave the Washington Wizards their seventh consecutive loss inside the Orlando NBA campus. The main incident of the tie involved Giannis Antetokounmpo headbutting Moe Wagner early in the second quarter and getting ejected in the process.
Rookie Rui Hachimura impressed with another 20-point outing while Brook Lopez led the scoring for the Bucks in this one-sided affair.
Final Score: Bucks 126-113 Wizards (Lopez 24 points; Hachimura 20 points, 5 rebounds)
Also read: Can the Phoenix Suns make the NBA Playoffs? - Western Conference qualification scenario