NBA wrap: Chris Paul sparks fireworks after win over Trail Blazers

Paul lit up the Trail Blazers, but Damian Lillard had an issue with his last basket.

Chris Paul scored a game-high 37 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Chris Paul is not a very controversial player. He rarely gets in any sort of confrontation, but Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard took exception to Paul's last basket in Wednesday's 121-112 Rockets win.

Already up seven points with the clock winding down, Paul drove through the lane and made a layup. He scored a game-high 37 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Paul continued to step up his game in James Harden's absence. Shooting guard Eric Gordon had one of his best games of the season as well, scoring 30 points with five rebounds.

Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 29 points and eight assists, while CJ McCollum added 24 points, but the Rockets jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and Portland Trail Blazers couldn't claw its way back.

The Houston Rockets (29-11) has now won four of its last six games after losing five straight. Still second in the Western Conference, Houston boasts the third-best record in the league.

STUD OF THE NIGHT

Chicago Bulls center Lauri Markkanen exploded for a career-high 33 points with 10 rebounds in a 122-119 double-overtime win over the New York Knicks. Markkanen drained eight 3-pointers, which tied Dirk Nowitzki for the most in a game by a 7-footer in NBA history.

It appears Dame wasn't a fan of CP3's late layup pic.twitter.com/RJr9x1a5dr

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 11, 2018

The Minnesota Timberwolves earned its second straight blowout win over a potential championship contender Wednesday, defeating Oklahoma City Thunder 104-88 thanks to Jimmy Butler's 26 points. Minnesota beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-99 in its last game.

DUD OF THE NIGHT

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie took a step back from his rising stock Wednesday by scoring just two points in an ugly 114-80 loss to the Pistons. Dinwiddie had scored at least 20 points in his last three games, including a 31-point effort against the Raptors, but crashed back to earth against the Pistons.

HIGHLIGHT

Kevin Durant making history:

His 25th point of the night gave him 20,000 points for his career. Congrats Kevin Durant! #NBAVotepic.twitter.com/KOSIrL5jkQ

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 11, 2018

WHAT'S NEXT

Celtics (33-10) at 76ers: Playing in London's fantastic O2 Arena, Boston and Philadelphia head across the pond to try and continue their respective winning streaks. The 76ers has won four straight, while the Celtics has won six consecutive, further distancing itself from the rest of the Eastern Conference.