NBA Recap – Blazers Outlast Clippers in OT, Spurs Rebound, Rockets Rally

UNDATED (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead last night before grabbing sole possession of the NBA's Western Conference lead, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored seven of his 32 points in overtime as the Blazers downed the Los Angeles Clippers 116-112. Nicolas Batum (bah-TOOM') and Wesley Matthews each added 19 points for the Blazers, who went 8-for-8 from the line in the final 65 seconds to secure their league-leading 24th win.

The Clippers dropped their second game in as many nights despite Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, who combined for 69 points. Griffin had a game-high 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul finished with 34 points and a game-high 16 assists.

The Spurs remain 1 ½ games behind Portland after Danny Green shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points in a 116-109 triumph at Dallas. Tim Duncan posted his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Tony Parker added a team-high 23 points.

A 12-0 Mavericks run cut the Spurs' lead to 100-97 with 3:55 to play, but Duncan then scored six consecutive points and passed to Green for a 3-pointer and a 110-103 advantage.

In Thursday's other NBA finals:

• James Harden and Jeremy Lin fueled Houston's fourth-quarter surge in a 100-92 victory against Memphis. Harden scored 11 of his 27 points in the final period, and Lin contributed 14 of his 18 over the last 12 minutes as the Rockets erased a 76-66 deficit.
• Jeff Teague capped his career-high 34-point night by hitting a 20-footer at the final buzzer to give Atlanta a 127-125 win over Cleveland in double overtime. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 40 points, 12 coming in the second OT.