(The Sports Xchange) – DeMarcus Cousins scored a season-high 55 points, and his three-point play after an apparent ejection with 35 seconds left in the game lifted the Sacramento Kings to a 126-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
The Kings forward scored on a driving layup and then appeared to receive his second technical foul when he spat out his mouthpiece. Cousins sprinted off the court into the locker room but moments later, referees motioned that he could return.
Cousins returned to a roar, made a free throw, then blocked a shot on defense on Portland’s next possession to help the Kings hold on. On the night, he pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked three shots.
CJ McCollum scored 36 points for Portland. Mason Plumlee scored a career-best 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and guard Damian Lillard added 24 points and 15 assists.
Cavaliers 114, Bucks 108 (OT)
LeBron James hit a 33-footer with 24 seconds left in overtime, and he scored 34 points to lead Cleveland past Milwaukee.
James moved past Moses Malone into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 27,442 points. Malone had 27,409 NBA points, plus 2,171 points in the ABA.
The Cavaliers also got 28 from Kyrie Irving and 15 off the bench from Channing Frye. Jabari Parker led Milwaukee with 30 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25.
Spurs 102, Rockets 100
Patty Mills turned a scrambled offensive possession into a thee-pointer with 12.9 seconds left as San Antonio erased a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit en route to a win over Houston.
Houston had its 10-game winning streak snapped amid eight fourth-quarter turnovers. The Rockets also missed 31 of 38 3-point attempts, including a wide-open look from guard Eric Gordon following the Mills basket.
The Rockets’ streak of games with at least 10 three-pointers made ended at 27.
Hornets 117, Lakers 113
Nicolas Batum hit a go-ahead bank shot with 13 seconds remaining and Charlotte fought back from a 19-point, first-half deficit to pull out a win over Los Angeles.
Batum’s shot gave the Hornets a 115-113 lead. After the Lakers’ Nick Young missed a three-point attempt, Batum came back to hit two free throws for a 117-113 lead with six seconds remaining.
Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 28 points and added 10 assists. Batum had 23 points and 10 assists. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 25 points, and Young scored 24.
Pelicans 108, 76ers 93
Anthony Davis collected 31 points and 16 rebounds as New Orleans beat Philadelphia.
Terrence Jones added 17 points and 10 boards for the Pelicans, who salvaged the final contest of a three-game road trip with only their third victory in the last 11 games. E’Twaun Moore contributed 15 points.
Raptors 116, Nets 104
Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and added eight assists as Toronto defeated Brooklyn.
The Raptors won for the 12th time in their past 14 games in giving the Nets their third straight loss. The Nets are 1-13 on the road, while the Raptors are 11-5 at home.
Knicks 118, Pacers 111
Carmelo Anthony scored 35 points, matching his season high, and led New York to a win over Indiana.
Derrick Rose, back in the New York lineup after missing three of the previous four games due to back spasms, scored 24 points and dished out six assists. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
Magic 136, Heat 130 (2 OT)
Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier scored 26 points apiece as Orlando defeated Miami in double overtime.
Fournier’s three-pointer with 1:26 remaining in the second overtime gave the Magic the lead for good at 126-123. Serge Ibaka’s jumper with 53 seconds left increased Orlando’s lead to 128-123.
Celtics 112, Grizzlies 109 (OT)
Isaiah Thomas scored a career-high 44 points to lead Boston Celtics to an overtime win against Memphis.
Boston center Al Horford (17 points, 14 rebounds) had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his short shot went in just after time expired.
Troy Daniels had 24 points off the bench for Memphis, and Mike Conley finished with 19 points and eight assists.
Warriors 104, Jazz 74
Golden State overcame a sluggish start with a Klay Thompson-led, second-quarter flurry, eventually rolling to a victory over Utah.
Stephen Curry had a game-high 25 points, Kevin Durant chipped in with 22 and Thompson totalled 17, helping the Warriors record their seventh straight home win over the Jazz.
Clippers 119, Nuggets 102
J.J. Redick scored 27 points as Los Angeles coasted past Denver.
The Clippers, who played without injured forward Blake Griffin (knee surgery), received 16 points and 15 assists from point guard Chris Paul and 13 points and 13 rebounds from center DeAndre Jordan.