Jrue Holiday made a game-winning floater with 1.9 seconds remaining as the Milwaukee Bucks erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take down the visiting Miami Heat 120-119 on Wednesday.
Miami led 113-99 with 7:12 left to play, but the Bucks closed the game on a 21-6 run to finish the season series with their Eastern Conference rival at two victories each.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points on 9-of-20 shooting and grabbed 17 rebounds to record his fifth consecutive double-double. Khris Middleton had 26 points, and Holiday contributed 25 along with 11 assists.
Tyler Herro paced the Heat with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting off the bench, and he pulled down seven rebounds. Gabe Vincent tallied 21 points, and Bam Adebayo chipped in 18 with 12 rebounds.
76ers 123, Knicks 108
Joel Embiid had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and host Philadelphia defeated New York.
James Harden added 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in his Philadelphia home debut. The Sixers are 3-0 with Harden in the lineup. Tobias Harris scored 14 points and Matisse Thybulle contributed 10 for the Sixers, who won their fourth consecutive game.
RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 30 points, while Julius Randle added 24. New York lost its sixth in a row.
Suns 120, Trail Blazers 90
Cameron Johnson scored 20 points and Deandre Ayton added 18 points and eight rebounds as host Phoenix rolled over Portland.
The Suns avoided their first three-game skid of the season with the convincing win that came without the services of backcourt stars Devin Booker (COVID-19 protocol) and Chris Paul (fractured thumb). Phoenix’s Jae Crowder registered 15 points, five rebounds and five steals.
Brandon Williams scored 14 points, Trendon Watford recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Drew Eubanks added 13 points and eight rebounds for Portland, which lost by at least 30 points for the third straight game.
Pacers 122, Magic 114 (OT)
Malcolm Brogdon collected 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as Indiana overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit en route to an overtime win at Orlando.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with 21 points, Buddy Hield added 17 and Isaiah Jackson made all eight of his shots to contribute 16 points for the Pacers.
Orlando rookie Franz Wagner scored 28 points, and Mo Bamba added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic.
Jazz 132, Rockets 127 (OT)
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 37 points, Rudy Gobert added his 38th double-double and Utah overcame a game-tying buzzer-beater to win at Houston in overtime.
Mitchell added 10 assists and three steals while Gobert chipped in 27 points and 17 rebounds for the Jazz, who won for the ninth time in 10 games. However, it was Mike Conley who drilled three critical 3-pointers for Utah, including two in overtime, and scored 12 of his 15 points over the final 5:08.
The Rockets, who dropped their 11th consecutive game, forced overtime when Christian Wood (24 points, 10 rebounds) drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end regulation.
Thunder 119, Nuggets 107
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points, Isaiah Roby had a career-high 26 points and Oklahoma City won at Denver.
Tre Mann scored 13 points and Darius Bazley added 12 for the Thunder, who earned their first win in Denver since April 9, 2017.
Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Bones Hyland scored 19 and Bryn Forbes had 18 for the Nuggets, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. The Denver starters finished 1-for-25 from behind the 3-point arc.
Hornets 119, Cavaliers 98
Terry Rozier scored 29 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 as Charlotte handed host Cleveland its fifth loss in six games.
Darius Garland’s season-high 33 points led the Cavaliers. He had missed the previous three games with lower back soreness. Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff was ejected for the first time in his NBA career with 8:36 left in the third quarter. He complained a little too vehemently about a blocking foul on Cedi Osman. Assistant coach Greg Buckner took over.
The Hornets lead the league in scoring at 114 per game, while the Cavaliers are the NBA’s stingiest team and allow just 102. Offense won out on Wednesday, as Charlotte evened the season series with Cleveland at two games apiece.
Pelicans 125, Kings 95
Brandon Ingram finished with 33 points to lead six New Orleans scorers in double figures in the win over visiting Sacramento.
Ingram made 15 of 19 shots from the floor, Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and CJ McCollum and Naji Marshall scored 17 each as the Pelicans improved to 3-0 since the All-Star break.
New Orleans, which began the streak with road wins against the Suns and the Lakers, have won the three games by an average of 24.3 points. De’Aaron Fox scored 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 19, Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Kings, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
-Field Level Media