Thursday was a night of pleasant surprises. Three great matchups took place and the assumed underdogs emerged victorious as the Bulls beat the Warriors, the Suns defeated the Hornets and OKC fell to the Blazers.
Blazers shock Thunder
Russel Westbrook might have put up better numbers, but it was Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers that won the game 114-109. Lillard had 33 points, four rebounds and five assists, Jusuf Nurkic had an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, CJ McCollum had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Nigerian forward Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
Westbrook led the Thunder with 45 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Enes Kanter had an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Taj Gibson had 15 points and six rebounds.
Bulls gore Warriors
The Chicago Bulls took advantage of the absence of Kevin Durant on the Golden State Warriors lineup and handed them a 94-87 beating. Jimmy Butler had 22 points, five rebounds, six assets and four steals, Bobby Portis had a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Dwyane Wade finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
The Warriors were led by Stephen Curry with 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals, Klay Thompson had 13 points, and Draymond Green had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Suns singe Hornets
Great shooting by the Phoenix Suns helped them beat the Charlotte Hornets 120-103. Marquese Chriss had 17 points, Allan Williams had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double and TJ Warren had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points, four rebounds and eight assists, Marvin Williams had 19 points and four rebounds, Frank Kaminsky had 16 points and Cameroonian-French guard Nicolas Batum had 12 points and five assists.
By Kaunda Chama
