Boston Celtics beat Indiana Pacers to clinch playoff spot
Nets stun Lakers at Staples; Harden hits 37 as Rockets top Timberwolves; Spurs beat Mavs despite 38 from Doncic
Wednesday 11 March 2020 08:05, UK
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points as the Boston Celtics recovered after giving up a late lead to beat the Indiana Pacers and clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday night.
Boston Celtics 114-111 Indiana Pacers
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and Gordon Hayward recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Boston Celtics recovered after giving up a late lead to beat the Indiana Pacers 114-111 on Tuesday night.
Hayward scored 13 points in the opening quarter, leading the Celtics to a 30-22 spread after the period. Boston held Indiana at arm's length for much of the remainder of the game, building leads of 19 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth.
The Pacers' Victor Oladipo finished with 27 points and seven rebounds while and TJ Warren added 22 points.
A Domantas Sabonis three-point play gave Indiana a 107-104 with 2:14 remaining, the Pacers' first lead since scoring the game's opening basket. Sabonis finished with team-highs of 28 points and nine rebounds.
But with the Celtics trailing 109-107, Tatum got to the rim for a game-tying dunk, and after a defensive stop, Marcus Smart laid in two of his 16 points to give Boston a lead they didn't relinquish. After Smart added two free throws, Indiana had one last look to force overtime, but Justin Holiday's final attempt missed.
Daniel Theis scored 20 points for the Celtics and Kemba Walker added 11, giving all five Boston starters double figures in scoring.
Brooklyn Nets 104-102 Los Angeles Lakers
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and hit the go-ahead basket as the Brooklyn Nets surprised the host Los Angeles Lakers 104-102.
Caris LeVert added 22 points, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 13 points, Joe Harris finished with 12 and Chris Chiozza added 11 for the Nets, who have won four of their past five games.
LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds but missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Dinwiddie's jumper with 28.8 seconds left was the difference. The Nets led by nine midway through the fourth quarter before the Lakers rallied within three points with four minutes to go. LeVert hit a trey, but Davis answered with a three-pointer, and James scored on a drive to pull the Lakers within 100-99 with 1:47 remaining.
After LeVert converted a pair of foul shots, Davis' three-pointer with 43.1 seconds left tied the score at 102. However, Dinwiddie's jumper put Brooklyn up for good.
James missed a lay-up with 9.1 seconds left, but the Lakers gained possession with 5.1 seconds left after a scramble for the ball, setting up Davis' last-second attempt.
Minnesota Timberwolves 111-117 Houston Rockets
James Harden scored a game-high 37 points and Russell Westbrook added 27 while keying a decisive stretch late in the third quarter as the Houston Rockets beat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111.
After Westbrook had a hand in all of the points in a 10-0 run that closed the third quarter, Harden took the baton early in the fourth with two three-pointers sandwiched around a floater that lifted the Rockets to their first double-digit lead of the game at 99-89 with 6:35 left to play.
Austin Rivers, whose three-pointer beat the buzzer to end the third, added a trey to cap the run and build the lead to 13.
The Rockets snapped a four-game losing skid with the comeback. Harden and Westbrook combined to shoot 22-of-36, with Harden connecting on half of his 10 three-point attempts. Both recorded seven assists, with Harden feeding Eric Gordon (16 points) for a pair of decisive three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
D'Angelo Russell paced the Timberwolves with 28 points and five assists while Juancho Hernangomez posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Jarrett Culver scored 12 points off the bench for Minnesota, which shot 48.2 per cent but fell to defeat for the fifth time in seven games.
Dallas Mavericks 109-119 San Antonio Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 24 points, nine of them in a pivotal late-game stretch, as the San Antonio Spurs came from behind to beat the Dallas Mavericks, 119-109, to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Spurs trailed by five points at the half but by just 85-83 entering the fourth quarter before rushing past Dallas with a 9-0 run and eventually taking an 11-point lead.
After Dallas pulled to within 104-101 on a putback lay-up by Kristaps Porzingis with 4:07 to play, Aldridge got six straight points, and nine of the next 11, and the Mavericks never challenged again.
Marco Belinelli scored 16 points for the Spurs, with Rudy Gay hitting for 17, Trey Lyles and Derrick White adding 14 points each, DeMar DeRozan scoring 13 points and dishing out 12 assists and Patty Mills tallying 12 in the win.
Luka Doncic had another brilliant game, scoring 38 points. Tim Hardaway Jr added 20 points, Dorian Finney-Smith hit for 15 and Maxi Kleber had 12 points for the Mavericks. Porzingis led Dallas, who suffered their second straight loss, with 12 rebounds.
LA Clippers 131-107 Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high-tying 23 points in 25 minutes, helping the visiting LA Clippers repeat their Chase Center opening night performance with a 131-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The win was the Clippers' seventh in their last eight games, the only loss in the run coming 112-103 against city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Dragan Bender matched Leonard's total with 23 points for Golden State, who snapped a 10-game home losing streak in its previous game, a 118-114 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
Like in the Clippers' first visit to the Warriors state-of-the-art arena, the visitors bolted from the gate and never looked back. Paul George had three hoops, including a three-pointer, in a 14-4 game-opening burst.
The Clippers went on to lead by as many as 13 in the first quarter, 28 at halftime and 30 in the first minute of the third period before coasting home to their third straight win over the Warriors this season.
On a night when Lou Williams was given the game off, six other Clippers scored in double figures, with Reggie Jackson going for 16, George and Patrick Beverley 15 apiece, Montrezl Harrell 14, JaMychal Green 13 and Landry Shamet 10.
Andrew Wiggins had 21 points for the Warriors, who once again were without Stephen Curry, out with the flu.
Orlando Magic 120-115 Memphis Grizzlies
Terrence Ross highlighted a 24-point performance with five three-pointers to lift the visiting Orlando Magic to a 120-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Michael Carter-Williams scored 20 points to eclipse his previous season-best total of 17, set during Orlando's win over Minnesota on Friday. Nikola Vucevic recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who overcame a 17-point deficit to post their third win in a row overall and seventh in their last nine games against Memphis.
Jonas Valanciunas collected 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who appeared poised to avenge a 118-86 setback in Orlando on November 8 and match their win total (33) from 2018-19 before being outscored 70-52 in the second half.
Memphis cut into a nine-point deficit as Dillon Brooks converted a four-point play and Tyus Jones drained a three-pointer to trim Orlando's lead to 110-108. The Grizzlies forged a tie at 112 nearly two minutes later before Ross drained a three-pointer on consecutive possessions.
Jones countered by sinking all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt with 39.7 seconds left. Ross misfired on a pull-up jumper on the next possession, however, Jones' bid for a tying three-pointer caromed off the front rim.
Phoenix Suns 105-121 Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard registered 25 points and seven assists to help the Portland Trail Blazers notch a 121-105 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
Trevor Ariza registered season-highs of 22 points and five three-pointers as Portland won for just the fourth time in the past 12 games. The Trail Blazers are three-and-a-half games behind the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
CJ McCollum also scored 22 points and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Portland, who shot 50.6 per cent from the field and were 17-of-35 from three-point range.
Devin Booker recorded 29 points and nine assists for the Suns, who fell six games behind Memphis in the playoff hunt. Dario Saric contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds while Ricky Rubio had 21 points and nine assists.
The Trail Blazers led by four points early in the fourth quarter before ripping off nine straight. Whiteside scored in the interior to cap the run and make it 93-80 with 8:30 remaining. Phoenix moved within 106-96 on Rubio's two free throws with 4:47 left. But Anthony knocked down a jumper and Ariza delivered his fifth triple of the contest to push the margin to 15 with 4:02 remaining.
Anthony and Lillard knocked down consecutive three-pointers to make it 119-101 with 1:37 left as Portland closed it out.
New York Knicks 115-122 Washington Wizards
Bradley Beal scored 27 of his 40 points in the second half as the host Washington Wizards blew an early 14-point lead and then stormed back from an 18-point deficit to record a 122-115 victory over the New York Knicks.
After a streak of 21 straight games scoring at least 25 points ended Sunday, Beal scored 20 points in the third quarter when the Wizards outscored the Knicks 33-17. He scored 16 of Washington's final 23 points in the period and forged an 87-87 tie into the fourth by hitting a three-pointer with 37.5 seconds left.
Beal scored seven points in the final quarter when the Wizards pulled away. He hit two lay-ups in a 13-2 run that pushed the lead to 113-99 with 4:03 remaining. The Wizards then sealed the game when Troy Brown Jr hit an uncontested three-pointer with 1:23 left for a 116-105 lead after Washington secured two offensive rebounds.
Shabazz Napier added 21 as Washington outscored New York 68-45 after half-time en route to their 21st win in the past 25 meetings. Thomas Bryant contributed 14 and 10 rebounds while rookie Rui Hachimura chipped in 12 as Washington shot 47.3 per cent.
Frank Ntilikina posted his second career double-double with a career-high 20 points and 10 assists as the Knicks lost for the 11th time in 14 games. Rookie RJ Barrett and Julius Randle added 16 points apiece as New York shot 51.9 per cent overall.
Cleveland Cavaliers 103-108 Chicago Bulls
Rookie guard Coby White scored a team-high 20 points in his first career start and the Chicago Bulls held on for a 108-103 win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wendell Carter Jr added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Chicago, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr and Denzel Valentine finished with 15 points apiece.
Collin Sexton scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting for Cleveland. Andre Drummond had 21 points and Larry Nance Jr scored 16, but it was not enough as the Cavaliers fell short several hours after head coach JB Bickerstaff signed a multi-year extension.
An 11-2 run gave Chicago a 94-85 lead with 6:54 to go. The Cavaliers trimmed the deficit to 105-103 with 38.3 seconds to go after Drummond tipped in a shot, but Chicago hung on thanks to a pair of free throws by Shaquille Harrison and another free throw by Carter.
