Golden State Warriors shrug off Stephen Curry's absence to complete late Philadelphia 76ers fightback
Bogdanovic scores 32 as Jazz beat Pistons for fifth straight win; Cavs hold off Nuggets to complete unlikely season sweep; Hornets complete wire-to-wire win over Rockets
Sunday 8 March 2020 11:32, UK
Eric Paschall sunk two vital late free throws to cap a 23-point performance as the Golden State Warriors overcame the absence of Stephen Curry to beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 118-114 on Saturday night.
Philadelphia 76ers 114-118 Golden State Warriors
Villanova product Eric Paschall capped a 23-point performance with a pair of go-ahead free throws with 51.7 seconds remaining Saturday night, as the Golden State Warriors outscored the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 118-114 in a nationally televised game that featured more starpower on the sidelines than on the court.
Damion Lee, a Drexel alum who is another of Golden State's Philadelphia connection, had a game-high-tying 24 points, including a key three-point play for Golden State.
The Warriors learned during the day that Stephen Curry would be joining fellow former All-Star team-mates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green out of action because of an illness. Curry had returned from a 58-game absence due to a broken left hand on Thursday.
Tobias Harris matched Lee's point total with 24 for the 76ers, who likewise were without three injured starters - Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson.
After the 76ers led most of the way, the game had three ties and five lead changes after Lee forged a 106-all deadlock with a floater with 3:42 to go.
Harris gave Philadelphia its last lead at 114-113 with a long three-pointer with 1:31 remaining. But the 76ers, in losing for the fifth time in their last eight games, never scored again.
Meanwhile, Paschall's free throws put Golden State up for good, after which Mychal Mulder finished off a season-best 18-point night by making three of four free throws. The win snapped a 10-game home losing streak for the Warriors.
All nine Warriors who saw action scored, including seven in double figures. Marquese Chriss had 13 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds, while also finding time for a career-high eight assists.
Al Horford collected 22 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high seven assists for the 76ers, who beat Golden State 115-104 in the season's first meeting between the two teams in Philadelphia.
Utah Jazz 111-105 Detroit Pistons
Bojan Bogdanovic fired in 32 points and the visiting Utah Jazz stretched their winning streak to five games by topping the Detroit Pistons 111-105.
The Jazz, who were closing out a four-game road trip, have won the last eight meetings between the clubs. They were playing the second end of a back-to-back after winning in Boston on Friday.
Donovan Mitchell supplied 25 points, Jordan Clarkson contributed 14 points off the bench, and Mike Conley added 12.
Christian Wood led the Pistons with a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Langston Galloway and Jordan McRae had 14 points apiece off the bench.
Live NBA: LA Lakers @ LA Clippers
Detroit has lost 10 of its last 11 games, while Utah moves to 41-22 on the season and now sits 1.5 games in front of Houston in fourth place in the Western Conference after the Rockets' loss to the Hornets.
Denver Nuggets 102-104 Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Love scored 27 points, Collin Sexton had 25 as the host Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 104-102.
Cedi Osman added 20 points, Tristan Thompson had nine points and 13 rebounds, and Matthew Dellavedova had seven points and 14 assists for Cleveland, which swept the season series against the Nuggets and ended a four-game skid.
Will Barton scored 22 points, Gary Harris had 18 and Jamal Murray added 17 for Denver. Nikola Jokic had just eight points but added eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Cavaliers led by five early in the fourth but went cold for nearly five minutes, allowing Denver to go up 93-90. Sexton ended the drought with a pair of free throws with 5:50 left, and that started a 10-0 run that put Cleveland ahead lead to 100-93 with 2:50 remaining.
Live NBA: Oklahoma City @ Boston
It was 104-99 after Love hit a shot, but Harris drained a corner three-pointer to make it a two-point game with 41.3 seconds left. Thompson missed two free throws with 20 seconds to go, but Murray missed an 11-foot fadeaway at the buzzer that would have sent it to overtime.
Houston Rockets 99-108 Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets scored the game's first 20 points and went on to defeat the visiting Houston Rockets, 108-99, behind 24 points from Terry Rozier.
Devonte' Graham added 23 points, PJ Washington contributed 22 points, Cody Zeller had 13 points and Miles Bridges was good for 10 points for Charlotte, which maintained a double-figure lead for a large portion of the second half.
The Hornets closed a four-game homestand with their only victory during that stretch. Unlike many other games this season, Charlotte stood strong in the waning minutes and avoided last-minute drama.
James Harden scored 30 points for the Rockets, but he was charged with 10 of the team's 20 turnovers. Harden also had 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
Robert Covington poured in 25 points and Jeff Green added 20 points for Houston, which has lost three straight for only the third time this season. Covington made seven shots from beyond the arc.
Houston played without guard Russell Westbrook (rest), limiting their top-level offensive options. Aside from Harden and Covington, the Rockets' starters combined for eight total points.
Atlanta Hawks 101-118 Memphis Grizzlies
Jonas Valanciunas had 12 of his 27 points in the first quarter to help the Memphis Grizzlies get off to a quick start and cruise to a 118-101 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
Valanciunas took advantage of Atlanta's thin depth at center to record his 32nd double-double of the season. He was 10-for-13 from the field, 7-for-10 at the foul line, and had 17 rebounds and three blocked shots.
It was the second time in a week that the Grizzlies have thumped the Hawks. Memphis won the previous meeting 127-88 in Atlanta on March 2.
Memphis also got 24 points, five rebounds and six assists from Ja Morant and 17 points off the bench from Josh Jackson. De'Anthony Melton added 13 and three steals, and Kyle Anderson scored 12 points and five assists.
Atlanta got leading scorer Trae Young back in the lineup after he missed Friday's game with flu-like symptoms. Young, however, was not at full strength, played only 29 minutes and was limited to 16 points - 13 fewer than his season average - and four assists.
Atlanta's top scorer was John Collins with 27 points, and he added eight rebounds, Kevin Huerter scored 11 and Jeff Teague, who picked up most of Young's other minutes, chipped in with 10 points.
Memphis has won four of its last five games and remains in eighth place in the NBA Western Conference, while Atlanta has lost three in a row.
Sacramento Kings 123-111 Portland Trail Blazers
Bogdan Bogdanovic matched his career high of seven three-pointers and recorded 27 points and eight assists as the Sacramento Kings halted a 12-game losing streak in Portland while rolling to a 123-111 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Harrison Barnes added 20 as Sacramento won in Portland for the first time since December 8, 2012. The Kings equalled the franchise record of 21 three-pointers (in 39 attempts), with Hield knocking down six and Barnes making five.
De'Aaron Fox recorded 14 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who have won seven of their last nine games. Sacramento stands 3.5 games behind the eighth-placed Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Hassan Whiteside recorded 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, and CJ McCollum also scored 19 points as Portland endured a poor showing in the opener of a six-game homestand.
Mario Hezonja added 16 points and fellow reserve Gary Trent Jr had 14 for the Trail Blazers, who have lost eight of their past 11 games. Portland is 4.5 games behind Memphis.
Portland star Damian Lillard scored just 12 points and was 4 of 15 from the field, including 2 of 10 from three-point range.
Sacramento's Richaun Holmes had 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes in his first game since January 6 due to a shoulder injury. Nemanja Bjelica also had 10 points for the Kings, who shot 48.2 per cent from the field.
