Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, including a go-ahead bucket with 9.2 seconds left, and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 101-99 on Sunday night.
Josh Giddey had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Kenrich Williams scored 11 points for Oklahoma City, which ended the Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak and 16-game home winning streak.
Jamal Murray scored 26 points and added nine assists, Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Zeke Nnaji had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Denver. Two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic sat out his second straight game with left hamstring tightness and Michael Porter Jr. was out for personal reasons.
Giddey missed a 21-footer with 1:48 left to play, and Murray’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 96-95. Williams answered with a 3-pointer, Gordon hit a layup with 1:08 left and Giddey missed a short jumper. Nnaji was fouled on an offensive rebound and hit two free throws to tie it at 99-all with 30.2 seconds left before Gilgeous-Alexander’s late heroics. Murray then missed a 14-footer at the buzzer.
Clippers 112, Mavericks 98
Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and nine rebounds, and visiting Los Angeles dominated the fourth quarter in a win over Dallas.
Paul George scored 21 points and Norman Powell added 19 for Los Angeles, which outscored the Mavericks 33-19 in the final period. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 for Dallas, which has lost six of its past eight games.
Playing in his 600th career NBA game, Leonard hit one of his three 3-pointers with 4:18 left to put the Clippers ahead 103-93. George’s jumper capped a 12-4 run with 2:16 remaining and gave the Clippers a 110-95 lead. Powell scored 11 points in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which has won two straight after losing nine of 11.
Suns 112, Grizzlies 110
Mikal Bridges scored 24 points and Chris Paul added 22 in his return from a seven-game absence due to a hip injury, lifting host Phoenix over Memphis.
Paul also posted 11 assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which nearly squandered a 29-point lead before holding on for its third straight win. Torrey Craig scored 20 points as the Suns were without Deandre Ayton (non-COVID illness), All-Star guard Devin Booker (groin), Landry Shamet (foot) and Cameron Payne (foot).
Ja Morant recorded 27 points and eight assists for the Grizzlies, who committed 20 turnovers en route to losing their second straight following their 11-game winning streak, which tied a franchise high. Desmond Bane contributed 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Steven Adams collected 10 points and 16 boards.
Heat 100, Pelicans 96
Tyler Herro scored a game-high 26 points and Kyle Lowry scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter, leading host Miami past New Orleans.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler had 18 points each for Miami, and Lowry added 17. Miami, 8-4 in its past 12 games, rallied from a 16-point deficit. New Orleans’ CJ McCollum took a 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left that would’ve given the Pelicans a 99-98 lead, but the shot missed off the front of the rim.
The Pelicans, who have lost four straight games, got a double-double from Jonas Valanciunas (14 points, 16 rebounds). New Orleans also got a team-high 17 points from Trey Murphy III. McCollum was held to 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting from the floor. New Orleans again was without its two injured stars and top scorers: Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (toe).
Nets 120, Warriors 116
Royce O’Neal buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds remaining, Kyrie Irving capped a 38-point performance with a pair of clinching free throws 14 seconds later and Brooklyn defeated Golden State in San Francisco.
Irving won a scoring duel with Stephen Curry 38-26 and got a lot more help from his fellow starters as the Nets won their second straight after beginning their five-game trip with back-to-back losses. Nic Claxton made six of his 15 foul shots en route to a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double for Brooklyn.
Jonathan Kuminga (20 points) Kevon Looney (14) and Donte DiVincenzo (13) scored in double figures off the Golden State bench, while starters Jordan Poole and Thompson had 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Raptors 125, Knicks 116
Fred VanVleet scored 28 points and Toronto defeated visiting New York.
Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam each added 24 points for the Raptors, who ended a three-game losing streak.
RJ Barrett scored 30 points for the Knicks, who have lost four straight. Julius Randle added 23 points and 19 rebounds for New York, and Jalen Brunson scored 21 points.
Lakers 121, Trail Blazers 112
LeBron James had 37 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles overcame a 25-point halftime deficit to knock off host Portland.
Thomas Bryant matched his career high of 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting and also collected 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Dennis Schroder added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds as Los Angeles won its second straight game.
Anfernee Simons made seven 3-pointers while scoring 31 points for the Trail Blazers, who lost for the 12th time in their past 16 contests. Damian Lillard had 24 points and 10 assists, Jerami Grant scored 19 points and Josh Hart added 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Portland.
—Field Level Media
