Aldridge and DeRozan lead Spurs past Heat for first win in three games
Monday 20 January 2020 07:00, UK
Domantas Sabonis took over down the stretch to complete a triple-double as the Indiana Pacers rallied from behind to beat the host Denver Nuggets 115-107.
Domantas Sabonis took over down the stretch to complete a triple-double and Doug McDermott buried two game-changing three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday night as the Indiana Pacers rallied from behind to beat the host Denver Nuggets 115-107.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, the Pacers finally caught the Nuggets for the first time since 0-0 on a McDermott three-pointer with 6:59 to play that produced a 91-all tie.
The game was subsequently deadlocked at 93 and 95 before McDermott followed a hoop by the Nuggets' Jerami Grant with another three-pointer, this one giving Indiana the lead for good at 98-97 with 4:13 to play.
Sabonis then scored the Pacers' next six points, extending the visitors' lead 104-99 with 1:30 remaining.
McDermott bombed in another three-pointer and Malcolm Brogdon slammed home a dunk as Indiana held on to win for the fifth straight time.
McDermott finished with a season-high and team-best 24 points. The former Nuggets first-round draft pick recorded a career-best with six three-pointers in seven attempts, helping the Pacers outscore the Nuggets 39-9 from beyond the arc.
Sabonis finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, giving him his first career triple-double.
TJ Warren (22) and Brogdon (22) made it four Pacers with 22 or more points in a balanced attack. Justin Holiday added 14 off the bench.
Playing for a second game in a row without starters Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets scored the game's first six points and never trailed until McDermott's three-pointer with 4:13 remaining.
Denver led by as many as six in the first quarter, nine in the second and 11 in the third.
Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double with a game-high 30 points and team-high 10 rebounds for Denver. Grant and Will Barton chipped in with 16 points apiece, Mason Plumlee had 13 and Michael Porter Jr 10.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points and DeMar DeRozan added 20 to pace a balanced San Antonio attack as the Spurs outlasted the visiting Miami Heat 107-102 in the Alamo City.
Two free throws by DeRozan and a three-point play by Aldridge after a steal by Derrick White gave the Spurs a 102-98 lead with 3:20 to play in a back-and-forth game. Marco Belinelli then drained a three-pointer to stretch San Antonio's advantage to seven points.
But the Heat charged back, as Bam Adebayo threw down an alley-oop dunk and Jimmy Butler converted two free throws to cut the deficit to 105-102.
Two Belinelli free throws with 6.6 seconds to play pushed the Spurs' advantage to five points and San Antonio held on in the final seconds.
Patty Mills added 18 points for San Antonio, who won for the first time in three games. Belinelli scored 12 points and White tallied 11 for the Spurs, who played without guard Dejounte Murray, who missed the game with because of an illness.
Adebayo paced Miami with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Goran Dragic scored 19 points, Kendrick Nunn had 18, Butler hit for 16 and Duncan Robinson added 12 for the Heat, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
