Paul George drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds remaining as the host Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 22-point deficit to edge the Golden State Warriors 113-112 on Saturday.
Moses Moody gave Golden State a 111-106 lead with 1:22 to go by sinking two free throws following a clear-path foul by George. James Harden answered with a layup before Moody split a pair of free throws, making it a four-point game with 38.1 seconds left.
Kawhi Leonard’s layup made it a one-possession game, and George then delivered, giving Los Angeles its first — and only — lead of the contest. Draymond Green came up short on a potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
George finished with a game-high 25 points for the Clippers, who bounced back from a 120-114 loss to the Warriors on Thursday. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 22 points and 11 assists.
Moody opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to put Golden State up by 22, and the Warriors still held a comfortable lead at 85-68 with 5:28 remaining in the period. Los Angeles still had gas in the tank, though, scoring 17 of the next 19 points to make it a two-point game.
Thunder 126, Mavericks 120
Jalen Williams had 23 points to lead eight scorers in double figures as visiting Oklahoma City withstood a furious 30-0 fourth-quarter rally by short-handed Dallas.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points while Davis Bertans and Cason Wallace scored 15 apiece for Oklahoma City, which won for the eighth time in its past 10 games. Dallas star Luka Doncic returned after missing one game for the birth of his daughter and recorded his third triple-double of the season with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 18 assists.
The Mavericks trailed by 23 at the start of the fourth before going on a remarkable 30-0 run to take the lead at 117-111 with 4:18 remaining. After A.J. Lawson hit a 3-pointer to put Dallas ahead by four, Oklahoma City scored six straight points to move ahead 122-120 with 40.1 seconds left. Doncic committed a turnover on the next possession and Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a layup before Williams made two foul shots for the final margin.
Nets 129, Magic 101
Mikal Bridges scored 26 of his 42 points in the first quarter and Brooklyn ended Orlando’s nine-game winning streak in a contest in New York.
The Magic missed a chance at their first 10-game winning streak in franchise history partly because they had trouble stopping Bridges, especially in the opening 12 minutes.
Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony scored 20 points apiece to lead Orlando, which had not lost since Nov. 14 when it fell to Brooklyn. Paolo Banchero added 19 points as the Magic shot 40.2 percent from the floor.
Cavaliers 110, Pistons 101
Darius Garland and Max Strus had 22 points apiece as visiting Cleveland beat Detroit, handing the Pistons their franchise-record 17th consecutive loss.
Donovan Mitchell supplied 20 points and four assists for the Cavaliers, who bounced back from a home loss to Portland. Jarrett Allen contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds and Georges Niang led the reserves with 12 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic, making his season debut, finished with 22 points off the bench for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham finished with a team-high 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for Detroit.
Timberwolves 123, Hornets 117
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points and Rudy Gobert posted 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, and the duo spearheaded a relentless fourth quarter to help Minnesota top host Charlotte.
Naz Reid had 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting off the bench, Mike Conley delivered 14 points and 10 assists and reserve Kyle Anderson added 11 points as the Timberwolves won their fourth consecutive game.
Terry Rozier’s 23 points and Miles Bridges’ 22 paced the Hornets. P.J. Washington hit four 3-pointers off the bench on the way to 18 points.
Bulls 124, Pelicans 118
Coby White scored a season-high 31 points and led a 3-point barrage by host Chicago in a victory over New Orleans.
White matched his career high of eight 3-pointers (in 13 attempts), and the Bulls made 17 of 40 compared to 8 of 25 for the Pelicans. DeMar DeRozan returned from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle to add 24 points and 10 assists.
Zion Williamson scored 27 points, Brandon Ingram had 23 and Herbert Jones had 17 to lead the Pelicans.
Pacers 144, Heat 129
Bruce Brown scored a season-high 30 points to help lead Indiana past host Miami.
Obi Toppin scored 22 points for the Pacers, who split their two games in Miami after losing to the Heat on Thursday. Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell tallied 20 points apiece, Myles Turner added 17 and Bennedict Mathurin had 16.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field. Caleb Martin poured in 18 points, Duncan Robinson scored 17 and Josh Richardson and Orlando Robinson each scored 16.
Bucks 132, Hawks 121
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up his first triple-double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Milwaukee to a win over visiting Atlanta.
Damian Lillard added 25 points to go along with nine assists for Milwaukee. Five other Bucks scored in double figures, including Cameron Payne, who had a season-high 18 points off the bench.
Trae Young led the way for Atlanta with 32 points, with his backcourt mate Dejounte Murray tallying 30. Young also dished out 12 assists and nabbed two steals. Clint Capela played a big role down low, scoring 10 points and grabbing a game-high 17 boards.
Suns 116, Grizzlies 109
Devin Booker recorded 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead Phoenix over visiting Memphis.
Kevin Durant added 27 points for the Suns, but his streak of consecutive 30-point games ended at seven. Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 5:34 left as Phoenix snapped a two-game skid.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 37 points on 13-of-21 shooting and collected nine rebounds for the Grizzlies. Desmond Bane scored 20 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for Memphis, which had a season-best two-game winning streak halted.
Jazz 118, Trail Blazers 113 (OT)
Collin Sexton scored 25 points and Keyonte George had one of the best games of his rookie season with a career-high 21 to help Utah defeat Portland in overtime in Salt Lake City.
John Collins added 17 points and nine rebounds and Omer Yurtseven hauled in 15 rebounds to go along with nine points and a key block in the waning moments of the extra session. The Jazz, who won after blowing a 13-point fourth-quarter lead, were without four regulars: Lauri Markkanen (hamstring), Jordan Clarkson (thigh), Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) and Kris Dunn (personal reasons).
Shaedon Sharpe and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 25 points, but the Blazers ended up falling to the Jazz for the second time in three outings this season. Scoot Henderson scored 17 points, while Deandre Ayton totaled 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Kings 123, Nuggets 117
Malik Monk capped a 26-point performance off the bench with a critical 3-pointer with 1:12 to play, and host Sacramento overcame Nikola Jokic’s eighth triple-double of the season for a victory over Denver.
De’Aaron Fox (26 points, game-high 16 assists) and Domantas Sabonis (17 points, game-high 15 rebounds) chipped in with double-doubles for the Kings, who won for the third time in their past four games in their final tune-up before the NBA in-season tournament quarterfinals on Monday night.
Jokic had a game-high 36 points and team highs in rebounds (13) and assists (14) for the Nuggets, who welcomed back Aaron Gordon from a heel injury but were without Jamal Murray for the second straight game due to a sprained right ankle.
Lakers 107, Rockets 97
Anthony Davis recorded his 17th double-double of the season while Austin Reaves scored 18 points off the bench as Los Angeles cruised past visiting Houston.
Davis had 27 points, 14 rebounds and added five blocks. Reaves overcame an 0-for-4 start and finished 6-for-11 from the floor with four rebounds and three steals. That duo combined for 21 points during a 25-2 second-quarter run that enabled the Lakers to seize control.
Alperen Sengun produced 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks while Fred VanVleet had 22 points and seven assists for Houston, which remained winless on the road in eight attempts.
–Field Level Media