(The Sports Xchange) – Kawhi Leonard poured in an off-balance three-pointer and then ran the floor to block a layup attempt by James Harden on the opposite end to propel the San Antonio Spurs past the Houston Rockets 112-110 on Monday.
After a Harden free throw with 39 seconds to play put the Rockets in front 108-107, Leonard moved to his left and scored from above the top of the key to give the Spurs a 110-108 lead. After his block, Leonard’s two free throws with 14.5 second remaining iced the game, gave him 39 points and provided San Antonio with its eighth straight victory. Seventeen of Leonard’s points came in the fourth quarter.Tony Parker added 19 points for the Spurs, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points. Harden scored 39 points and distributed 12 assists.
Knicks 113, Magic 105
New York found a lift with Carmelo Anthony sitting out due to a sore left knee. Reserve Kyle O’Quinn scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, all in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks fought their way back for a win over Orlando.
New York went on a 23-4 run to start the fourth quarter and take a double-digit lead. Lance Thomas contributed five of his 17 points in the fourth period, during which the Knicks outscored the Magic 28-13. Courtney Lee led New York with 20 points. Evan Fournier paced the Magic with 25 points. Elfrid Payton had a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Aaron Gordon scored 17 points. Bismack Biyombo contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Heat 106, Cavaliers 98
Dion Waiters burned his old team with 29 points, and Miami beat Cleveland for the second time in three nights. The Cavs lost more than another game, too. Center Andrew Bogut exited with a fractured left tibia just 58 seconds into his Cleveland debut.
Waiters, traded from Cleveland in January 2015, shot 12 of 24 from the field and banked in a three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 12.2 seconds left to thwart a furious Cavaliers comeback attempt. Goran Dragic scored 21 points for the Heat, while Hassan Whiteside added 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavs received 32 points from Kyrie Irving and 30 points from LeBron James, who also set a season high with 17 rebounds. James scored 10 in the fourth as Cleveland attempted to recover from a 20-point deficit with 10:47 left in the game.
Warriors 119, Hawks 111
Andre Iguodala came off the bench to score 24 points and spark a second-quarter rally that enabled Golden State to defeat Atlanta. Iguodala shot 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Warriors also got 24 points and nine assists from Stephen Curry, 13 points from Klay Thompson and 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Draymond Green. All of Thompson’s points came in the second half.Atlanta got 23 points from point guard Dennis Schroder, but 19 of those came in the first quarter. Paul Millsap contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points.
Bucks 112, 76ers 98
Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists as Milwaukee beat Philadelphia. Tony Snell added 21 points for the Bucks, who led by as many as 27 en route to their third straight victory. Justin Anderson matched his career high of 19 points to pace the Sixers, who were without center Jahlil Okafor (sore right knee) for the second straight game.
Pistons 109, Bulls 95
Reggie Jackson scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half, and Detroit pulled away to a victory over Chicago. Jon Leuer supplied 16 points, while Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris tossed in 13 points apiece for Detroit.
Jimmy Butler led Chicago (31-32) with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Robin Lopez had 18 points and Cameron Payne added 14 for the Bulls. Chicago played without Dwyane Wade (quad) and Rajon Rondo (ankle).
Hornets 100, Pacers 88
Kemba Walker scored 28 points and Nicolas Batum added 21, and Charlotte rolled to a victory over Indiana.
Batum scored 14 of his points in the first quarter as the Hornets pulled out to a 27-16 lead after one quarter. Then Walker heated up in the second quarter and the Hornets pushed the lead up to as many as 24 before settling for a 58-37 halftime lead. Paul George led the Pacers with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. C.J. Miles scored 16 points, Monta Ellis scored 12, and Jeff Teague scored 10.
Nuggets 108, Kings 96
Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Danilo Gallinari had 18 points, and Denver beat Sacramento.
Mason Plumlee added 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Gary Harris scored 15 for Denver, which overcame the absence of center Nikola Jokic to end a five-game skid against Sacramento.
Darren Collison led the Kings with 17 points, and Kosta Koufos amassed 14 points and 10 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 14 points off the bench as Sacramento lost its fifth game in a row.
Jazz 88, Pelicans 83
Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and collected seven rebounds while Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 15 rebounds to help Utah pull away for a win over New Orleans. Joe Ingles chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Jazz. Utah overcame sluggishness on offense over the final three quarters to notch its third straight victory. Anthony Davis scored 20 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead the Pelicans. Jordan Crawford added 19 points in his New Orleans debut, and DeMarcus Cousins chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. New Orleans lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Nets 122, Grizzlies 109
Brooklyn won for just the second time in 20 games, using a strong closing kick to defeat Memphis. The Nets trailed by many as 12 points in third quarter before rallying.
Rookie Isaiah Whitehead (15 points) scored the Nets’ first eight points of the fourth quarter, and guard Jeremy Lin (18 points) took over down the stretch, scoring 11 points in the final frame. Reserve Sean Kilpatrick led Brooklyn with 23 points.
Mike Conley scored a game-high 32 points for the Grizzlies and handed out six assists.
Trail Blazers at Timberwolves, ppd.
The scheduled game between Minnesota and Portland was postponed due to slippery court conditions.
Humidity from an unseasonably warm day in Minneapolis resulted in condensation on the court from the ice rink below. A makeup date for the rescheduled game had yet to be determined.
Clippers 116, Celtics 102
Blake Griffin scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Los Angeles used a second-half rally to run past Boston at Staples Center.
Chris Paul had 23 points, while Jamal Crawford, who made 4-of-5 from three-point range, scored 17 of his 19 points after the break for the Clippers. Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan collected 15 points and 12 boards.
Isaiah Thomas scored 32 points and handed out five assists for the Celtics. Marcus Smart had 21 points for Boston, while Avery Bradley added 14.
