(Reuters) Dirk Nowitzki became the sixth NBA player to reach the 50,000-minute milestone, but Danilo Gallinari stole the spotlight with two lead-changing free throws with 24 seconds remaining Monday, helping the host Los Angeles Clippers overtake the Dallas Mavericks 104-101.
Gallinari, playing just his third game since missing almost two months with a partially torn left glute, finished with a season-best 28 points. Tobias Harris added 19 for the Clippers, who scored the game’s final 13 points after trailing 101-91 with 4:42 to go.
The win was the Clippers’ fourth in their past five games and 14th in their past 20.
Wesley Matthews had 23 points and Devin Harris 16 for the Mavericks, who missed their last seven shots and mixed in three turnovers in their game-ending scoring drought.
Pistons 111, Trail Blazers 91
Blake Griffin posted 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Detroit stretched its winning streak to four games by pulling away from visiting Portland.
Detroit reached the .500 mark and is 3-0 since Griffin joined the starting lineup. The five-time All-Star was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers a week ago.
Andre Drummond racked up 17 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for the Pistons, and Anthony Tolliver scored 13 of his 15 points during the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 20 points.
Wizards 111, Pacers 102
Bradley Beal scored 21 on 9-of-16 shooting to lead eight Washington players in double figures in a win at Indiana.
The Wizards have won five consecutive games, all since John Wall went down with a knee injury. He had a procedure last week and is expected to be out six to eight weeks.
Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 15 points and Otto Porter Jr. 13 for the Wizards, who shot 54.9 percent from the field. Washington’s Markieff Morris contributed 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Indiana’s Bojan Bogdanovich scored 29 points.
Magic 111, Heat 109
Jonathon Simmons drove the lane for a game-winning dunk with 1:31 left as Orlando — which entered with the worst record in the NBA — upset host Miami.
Miami had a chance to send the game to overtime on its final possession with 13 seconds left, but Josh Richardson missed a contested mid-range jumper.
Miami’s Tyler Johnson grabbed the rebound, but his shot was blocked by Bismack Biyombo.
After a review in which a goaltending call on Biyombo was overturned, Miami got one more chance with 1.8 seconds left, but Justise Winslow’s bad inbounds pass was intercepted by Orlando to end the game.
Jazz 133, Pelicans 109
Rodney Hood came off the bench to score 30 points as hot-shooting Utah won its sixth consecutive game with a victory at New Orleans.
The Jazz made 58.4 percent (52 of 89) of their field-goal attempts, including 66.7 percent (14 of 21) of their 3-point tries.
Utah’s Ricky Rubio had 20 points and 11 assists, Derrick Favors scored 19, Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Joe Ingles scored 18 and Royce O’Neale had 13. Jrue Holiday paced the Pelicans with 28 points.
Nuggets 121, Hornets 104
Gary Harris scored 27 points and host Denver used an array of 3-point shooting to produce a victory over Charlotte.
Seven Denver players hit at least one 3-point basket, topped by Harris with five (on seven attempts). Jamal Murray, who made four treys, and Will Barton, who supplied eight assists, both posted 18 points. Nikola Jokic added 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who completed a 3-0 homestand.
Kemba Walker scored 20 points and Dwight Howard added 19 points for the Hornets.
Kings 104, Bulls 98
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 15 points, and Sacramento rallied from a 21-point, first-half deficit to beat visiting Chicago.
George Hill scored 14 points for the Kings, and Garrett Temple had 12. Zach LaVine scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Bulls, who lost their seventh game in a row.
Chicago center Robin Lopez was ejected late in the first half for screaming at officials about what he believed should have been a foul call. Lopez, who is a candidate to be traded this week, threw a chair in the tunnel on his way to the locker room.