Thunder Pound Nuggets – NBA Roundup For Dec. 18th

UNDATED (AP) — Damian Lillard allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to stay atop of the NBA's Western Conference, one game ahead of Oklahoma City.

Lillard hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with four-tenths of a second remaining to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 119-116 win at Cleveland. The bucket came one game after he hit a game-winning shot with one-tenth of a second to beat Detroit on Sunday.

Lillard canned a career-high eight 3-pointers while scoring 36 points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Trail Blazers picked up their fifth straight win and improved to an NBA-best 22-4.

The Thunder kept pace with a 105-93 win at Denver as Kevin Durant scored 30 points in Oklahoma City's seventh straight win. Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, while Serge Ibaka (ih-BAH'-kah) added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Also in the NBA:

— Pau Gasol (gah-SAHL') shot 9-for-12 and finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 96-92 victory at Memphis. Kobe Bryant also had 21 points for the Lakers, who trailed by two in the fourth quarter before going on a 17-4 run.

— Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Charlotte ended a three-game skid by downing Sacramento 95-87. Gerald Henderson added 20 points and reserve Ramon Sessions scored 16 for the Bobcats.

— Golden State outscored New Orleans 104-93. Stephen (STEH'-fihn) Curry led the way with 28 points and 12 assists for the Warriors. David Lee added 21 points and 17 rebounds.

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James may not be available when the Heat face Eastern Conference opponent Indiana tonight in Miami. He suffered a sprained left ankle in in Monday's game with Utah. He was able to finish the game but woke up Tuesday with soreness.

The league MVP says he's had several sprained ankles and knows how to deal with it. He finished with 30 points in the win over Utah.