NBA Roundup: Cavs’ Max Strus Hits Half-Court Winner at Buzzer

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) celebrates after hitting a last-second, game-winning three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Feb. 27, 2024. David Richard/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Max Strus sank a 3-pointer from well beyond midcourt as time expired to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121–119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Strus matched Donovan Mitchell by making seven 3-pointers on the evening. Strus, in fact, sank four in a 67-second sequence late in the fourth quarter before answering P.J. Washington’s go-ahead layup with 2.6 seconds left with his improbable shot.

Mitchell collected 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists to offset seven turnovers. Strus finished with 21 points and Jarrett Allen recorded 19 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won two in a row overall and completed a season-series sweep of the Mavericks. Cleveland recorded a 113–110 victory in Dallas on Dec. 27.

Strus’ heroics spoiled a banner night by Dallas’ Luka Doncic, who recorded 45 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, and three steals.

Pistons 105, Bulls 95

Cade Cunningham scored 26 points and Simone Fontecchio had 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to boost visiting Detroit to a win against Chicago.

Detroit snapped a six-game losing streak behind a 42–6 edge in points from 3-point shots. The Pistons finished 14-for-37 (37.8 percent) from deep compared to a season-worst 2-for-29 (6.9 percent) showing for the Bulls, who have lost three of four.

Nikola Vucevic (25 points, 10 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (20 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles for Chicago, and DeMar DeRozan added 25 points.

Warriors 123, Wizards 112

Klay Thompson outscored Jordan Poole in a bench duel of former teammates, Chris Paul made a triumphant return from a 21-game absence and Golden State beat host Washington.

On a night when Andrew Wiggins wasn’t available for personal reasons and Stephen Curry made just 4 of 16 3-pointers, the Warriors rode Thompson’s hot hand to a ninth win in 11 games. Thompson buried 6 of 11 triples en route to a team-high 25 points in 27 minutes.

Poole, meanwhile, went just 2-for-8 from deep and 5-for-17 overall en route to 12 points against the team that traded him as part of a package for Paul this past offseason. Paul went for nine points, four rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Magic 108, Nets 81

Franz Wagner scored 21 points and Moritz Wagner added 16 as Orlando held visiting Brooklyn to a season-low point total.

Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz scored 12 points apiece for Orlando, which led by as many as 33 and won for the fourth time in its past five games. Wendell Carter Jr. added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers and fell to 1–3 under interim coach Kevin Ollie. The Nets played without Cam Thomas (right ankle sprain) and Ben Simmons (left knee injury maintenance).

Hawks 124, Jazz 97

Jalen Johnson totaled 22 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists to lead Atlanta over visiting Utah.

De'Andre Hunter added 20 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 and Dejounte Murray contributed 17 points and 11 assists to help the Hawks win their second straight game.

Collin Sexton led Utah with 22 points and Walker Kessler had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks as the Jazz lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Celtics 117, 76ers 99

Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and Jayson Tatum finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists to help Boston extend its winning streak to nine games by beating visiting Philadelphia.

Philadelphia trailed by two with 8:50 to play, but Boston scored the next 16 points to take a 107–89 lead with four minutes remaining. Boston had a 56–28 edge in rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey tossed in a game-high 32 points for the 76ers, who received 16 points from Ricky Council IV. Tobias Harris and Cameron Payne each finished with 13 points.

Pelicans 115, Knicks 92

Trey Murphy III scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for visiting New Orleans, which pulled away from undermanned New York.

Brandon Ingram had 24 points and Zion Williamson finished with 21 points for the Pelicans, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 23 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 for the Knicks, who scratched Jalen Brunson (neck) and Isaiah Hartenstein (left Achilles) shortly before the opening tip. New York fell to 3–7 in the past 10 games.

Timberwolves 114, Spurs 105

Anthony Edwards shrugged off a late-second-quarter ankle injury to score 34 points as Minnesota held on to beat San Antonio in Minneapolis.

Naz Reid added 22 points off the bench for the Timberwolves. Minnesota won for the sixth time in seven games to remain atop the Western Conference standings despite playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the contest for personal reasons.

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 21 points while Keldon Johnson added 20. Victor Wembanyama tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.

Bucks 123, Hornets 85

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and Damian Lillard added 23 to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists as Milwaukee routed visiting Charlotte.

Bobby Portis added 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Jae Crowder had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks.

Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 17 points but was only 6 of 15 from the floor. Tre Mann scored 16 points and Brandon Miller added 14.

Thunder 112, Rockets 95

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead host Oklahoma City past Houston for a sixth victory in a row, matching its season-best winning streak.

The Thunder improved to 41–17 after going just 40–42 in 2022–23. Jalen Williams supplied 24 points and Chet Holmgren had 18 to go along with 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which also beat the Rockets on Sunday.

Alperen Sengun paced the Rockets with 23 points and six assists while adding 11 boards. Jabari Smith Jr. totaled 18 points and 13 rebounds as Houston fell to 1–11 in its past 12 road games.

Heat 106, Trail Blazers 96

Jimmy Butler recorded 22 points, nine assists, and four steals to help Miami overcome a 15-point deficit en route to a victory over host Portland.

Terry Rozier scored 19 points and Duncan Robinson added 17 as the Heat improved to 5–0 on a six-game road trip. Bam Adebayo contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which has won nine of its past 11 games.

Anfernee Simons scored 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who lost their season-high ninth straight game. Jerami Grant added 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals for Portland, which went 0–7 on its now-concluded homestand.