KAWHI LEONARD posted a game-high 30 points and added eight rebounds as the Toronto Raptors snapped the host Miami Heat’s five-game win streak with a 106-104 victory on Wednesday night.
The Raptors were without point guard Kyle Lowry, who has back pain. But Toronto is 8-1 without Lowry this season.
Toronto’s Danny Green hit the go-ahead three-pointer from the right corner with 23 seconds left to give the Raptors a 106-104 lead.
On the following possession, a three-point attempt by Miami’s Dwyane Wade fell short. Teammate Justise Winslow grabbed the rebound and missed a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left, and Wade failed on a tip-in.
NETS 134, HORNETS 132 (2 OT)
Joe Harris recorded a steal and drove in for the game-winning fastbreak layup with 3.4 seconds left in double overtime as host Brooklyn finally outlasted Charlotte.
The Hornets had the ball with less than two seconds’ separation between the shot clock and the game clock, but Malik Monk lost the ball as he tried dribbling around Rodions Kurucs. Harris picked up the ball and scored the layup, but the shot clock never reset, so a buzzer signaling a shot clock violation went off just before Charlotte lofted a desperation shot.
Officials put 1.6 seconds back on the clock and gave the Hornets the ball at half-court. Monk then missed a desperation heave from just inside half-court to end a wild affair.
SPURS 111, NUGGETS 103
DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 27 as San Antonio Spurs played its best basketball in the fourth quarter while defeating visiting Denver.
Denver led 80-79 after two free throws by Malik Beasley with 9:44 to play before the Spurs fashioned a 15-0 run, with 3-pointers by Marco Belinelli beginning and capping the spurt, to run past the Nuggets.
San Antonio ran its advantage to as many as 18 points and had more than enough to hold off a late Denver run.
MAVERICKS 122, PELICANS 119
Rookie Luka Doncic had 21 points and 10 assists as host Dallas ended a six-game losing streak and extended New Orleans’ losing streak to five games.
DeAndre Jordan added 20 points and 12 rebounds, J.J. Barea scored 18 points, Harrison Barnes and Devin Harris each had 16 points and Maximilian Kleber added 10 for the Mavericks, who improved to 14-3 at home.
Anthony Davis had 32 points and 18 rebounds, Jrue Holiday scored 25 and Julius Randle had 23 for the Pelicans, who completed a four-game road trip by falling to 4-15 away from home.
TIMBERWOLVES 119, BULLS 94
Karl Anthony-Towns and Taj Gibson combined for all the scoring in an 8-0 burst to open the game that gave Minnesota the lead for good in its romp over host Chicago.
Derrick Rose had a team-high 24 points to go with eight assists, while Towns recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double for the Timberwolves, who completed a two-game, season-series sweep of the Bulls.
The 20-20 game was Towns’ third of the season and eighth of his career. It was just the 21st 20-20 game of the NBA season. Only Detroit’s Andre Drummond, with six, has more than Towns.
GRIZZLIES 95, CAVALIERS 87
Marc Gasol recorded 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots to help Memphis post a victory over visiting Cleveland.
Mike Conley registered 15 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies won their second straight game following a five-game slide. Kyle Anderson also scored 15 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Garrett Temple added 11 apiece.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points off the bench for Cleveland, which lost its fourth straight game and sixth in its last seven. Collin Sexton added 16 points and Cedi Osman scored 10 for the Cavaliers, who scored just nine first-quarter points.
PISTONS 106, WIZARDS 95
Blake Griffin scored a game-high 23 points and sparked an early second-half run that gave Detroit the lead for good in a win over visiting Washington.
Detroit had lost nine of its previous 11 games, but the burst at the start of the second half gave the Pistons command. They scored 23 of the first 25 points in the third quarter and turned a one-point deficit into a 77-57 lead with 6:39 left in that period.
The Pistons began the streak with back-to-back three-pointers just nine seconds apart from Griffin and Bruce Brown. This same pair each scored five as Detroit posted the first 12 points of the half. — Reuters
