Paul George scored 31 points, including a go-ahead four-point play with 5.1 seconds left, to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-115 win over the 76ers on Saturday in Philadelphia.
George’s heroics came just moments after Jimmy Butler put the 76ers in front with a steal and a layup with 6.9 seconds remaining.
It was Oklahoma City’s 19th consecutive win over the 76ers. The Thunder have not lost to Philadelphia in more than a decade.
Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists but fouled out with 14.9 seconds left when he fouled Joel Embiid shooting a 3-pointer at the top of the key. Westbrook and Embiid were each critical of the other when speaking to reporters postgame, with Westbrook saying defiantly that the two weren’t “cool.”
Rockets 138, Lakers 134 (OT)
Eric Gordon drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation and later converted four free throws inside the final 10 seconds of overtime to help carry Houston Rockets to victory over visiting Los Angeles.
Gordon finished with 30 points. He served as a strong complement to James Harden, who posted 48 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Gordon and Harden sank threes in succession to open the extra session, with the Gordon trey supplying the Rockets their first lead of the game at 123-120 at the 4:49 mark.
Nuggets 124, Cavaliers 102
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 26 points, and host Denver beat Cleveland.
Jokic recorded his sixth triple-double of the season and fourth in January in just 28 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Trey Lyles had 16 points, Monte Morris 15 and Paul Millsap scored 14 points for the Nuggets, who closed out their four-game homestand at 3-1, with routs of the two bottom teams in the Eastern Conference, Chicago and Cleveland, after falling to Golden State on Tuesday.
Kings 103, Pistons 101
Buddy Hield tossed in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Sacramento erased a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to edge host Detroit.
Hield finished with 35 points, nine rebounds and three assists. De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and 10 assists, and Marvin Bagley III also scored 14 points.
Blake Griffin led Detroit with 38 points, and Luke Kennard contributed 19 off the bench.
Celtics 113, Hawks 105
Kyrie Irving continued his hot shooting, scoring 32 points to lead visiting Boston over Atlanta.
Boston won its third straight game, ended a three-game losing streak on the road and has beaten the Hawks three times this season. The Celtics outscored the Hawks 30-16 in the fourth quarter and pulled away in the final minutes.
Things got testy in the third quarter after Marcus Smart was dealt his second technical foul and ejected. The Celtics guard charged after DeAndre’ Bembry, with whom he had exchanged words, and needed to be held back by his teammates, Hawks players and the referees.
Bucks 118, Magic 108
Eric Bledsoe‘s season-high 30 points led visiting Milwaukee past Orlando.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points for Milwaukee. The Bucks own the NBA’s best record and have won four straight, outscoring opponents by an average 19.3 points during the stretch.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 27 points, and Terrence Ross added 16 points off the bench. Orlando has lost three straight after blowing a 21-point, second-quarter lead against the Brooklyn Nets and falling to the Detroit Pistons in overtime.
Hornets 135, Suns 115
Kemba Walker led a balanced attack with 21 points, and Charlotte rolled to an easy victory over visiting Phoenix.
Jeremy Lamb added 18 points for the Hornets, and six others also scored in double figures. Nicolas Batum scored 15; Marvin Williams and Tony Parker scored 14 each; Bismack Biyombo had 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots; and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Miles Bridges chipped in 10 each.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 32 points, including 22 in the first half, and 11 assists. Phoenix also got 24 points from Kelly Oubre Jr., 16 from T.J. Warren and 10 from Deandre Ayton.
Raptors 119, Grizzlies 90
Danny Green scored 21 of his season-best 24 points in the third quarter and matched his career-best with eight 3-pointers as Toronto defeated visiting Memphis.
Serge Ibaka added 18 points for the Raptors, who have won seven of their past eight games and nine straight home games. Pascal Siakam added 17 points and eight rebounds, Norman Powell 14, CJ Miles 13 and Kyle Lowry had 12 points and seven assists for the Raptors.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have lost 11 of their past 12 games. Ivan Rabb added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Shelvin Mack had 14 points and Mike Conley added 10 points for Memphis.
Pacers 111, Mavericks 99
Domantas Sabonis scored 10 of his 16 points during a second-quarter runaway, helping Indiana ease past Dallas at Indianapolis in a game that featured rookie star Luka Doncic’s first career ejection.
Sabonis completed a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans led five Pacers in double figures with 19 points.
Making his first NBA visit to Indianapolis, Doncic was ejected after getting nailed with a second technical foul for somewhat politely kicking the ball into the stands with 3:00 remaining in the third quarter.
Heat 117, Bulls 103
Josh Richardson scored a game-high 26 points as Miami sent host Chicago to its 10th straight defeat.
The game marked Dwyane Wade’s last visit to his hometown of Chicago as an active player. The 37-year-old shooting guard is retiring after this season.
Wade had 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench. The Heat also got a season-high 21 points from reserve shooting guard Dion Waiters, who had complained earlier this week about a lack of playing time.
–Field Level Media
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