Welcome to a wonderful NBA Thursday, which spotlighted four of the league's best teams in two exciting matchups.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been at the top of the Eastern Conference for a large majority of the season, and they showed why on Thursday night as they took down the Indiana Pacers in a battle of two of the East's top teams. MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while Myles Turner paced the Pacers with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists.
Meanwhile, two of the top teams in the NBA's Western Conference went head-to-head when the Portland Trail Blazers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. The game was a battle, and needed an extra five minutes to find a victor. Ultimately, the Thunder pulled out an impressive 129-121 win and swept their season series with the Blazers.
NBA scores for Thursday, March 7
Milwaukee Bucks 117, Indiana Pacers 98 (Box Score) Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Portland Trail Blazers 121 (Box score)NBA schedule for Friday, March 8
*All times Eastern
Lillard's 51 points not enough
Damian Lillard did everything he could to lead his Blazers to victory, but even his season-high 51 points weren't enough. The Thunder were just too much down the stretch, led by Russell Westbrook's 37 points and Paul George's 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Westbrook spins and scores on Lillard
Two All-Star guards went head-to-head on Thursday night, but Russell Westbrook got the best of Dame Lillard on one particular play. He lost Lillard with a pretty spin move, then finished at the rim during the first quarter of the contest between the Thunder and Blazers on Thursday.
Giannis gets it done on both ends vs. Pacers
Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to make his case for the NBA MVP Award with another very solid showing early on Thursday night. As you can see in the clip below, he got it done on both ends against Indiana.
Snell sends Bogdanovic to the floor
Tony Snell isn't necessarily known for his ball-handling ability, but he embarrassed Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic by sending him to the floor with a filthy crossover.
Lakers to limit LeBron's minutes
With the Los Angeles Lakers all but eliminated from Western Conference playoff contention, the team will limit LeBron James' minutes for the rest of the season, and probably hold him out in back-to-back sets, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
