NBA Roundup: Stephen Curry’s Buzzer-Beater Sinks Rockets

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making the game-winning shot in the last seconds of the second half of the game against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. John Hefti/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Stephen Curry beat the final horn with a step-back 20-footer Friday night as the Golden State Warriors rallied past the Houston Rockets 105–103 in San Francisco.

Down by nine with 4:49 to play, the Warriors rallied into a 103-all tie on a pair of Otto Porter Jr. free throws with 1:22 remaining, then got one final possession when Houston’s Garrison Mathews missed a 3-point attempt with 8.5 seconds left.

Curry finished with a game-high 22 points for the Warriors, who had lost six of their previous nine games. Golden State’s Jordan Poole scored 20 points, and Andrew Wiggins had 17.

Christian Wood had 19 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Rockets, who settled for completing a 3–2 road trip.

Nets 117, Spurs 102

James Harden scored 37 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds and Brooklyn turned it on in the fourth quarter to win at San Antonio.

The Nets led by five points at the end of the third quarter after a late run and continued that momentum into the fourth, steadily pulling away over the final eight minutes.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points off the bench for the Nets in his first return to San Antonio since he was released by the Spurs last season. Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to record his second consecutive triple-double and his ninth this season.

Grizzlies 122, Nuggets 118

Ja Morant scored 38 points, De'Anthony Melton had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Memphis won at Denver.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and four blocks and Ziaire Williams scored 17 for the Grizzlies. Memphis played without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Desmond Bane (health and safety protocol).

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds for his fourth straight triple-double and 11th of the season. Will Barton scored 27 points and added eight assists.

Bucks 94, Bulls 90

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Bobby Portis all notched double-doubles as host Milwaukee beat Chicago for its second straight win.

Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 30 points on 11-of-23 shooting and added 12 rebounds. Middleton finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, and Portis had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Milwaukee led by seven with just 2:32 left to go, but the Bulls pulled within two with just over a minute remaining. DeMar DeRozan (35 points) missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer with 23 seconds left, and Middleton sunk a pair of free throws to secure the win.

Clippers 102, 76ers 101

Reggie Jackson had 19 points and nine assists, Nicolas Batum added 15 points, and Los Angeles rallied from a 24-point deficit to defeat host Philadelphia.

Ivica Zubac contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds, for the Clippers. With Los Angeles leading by one, Marcus Morris Sr. missed two free throws with 9.4 seconds left, giving the Sixers one last chance. Tyrese Maxey missed a runner at the buzzer.

Joel Embiid had 40 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists to lead the 76ers.

Lakers 116, Magic 105

LeBron James scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles opened a six-game road trip with a win over Orlando.

Carmelo Anthony came off the bench to score 19 of his 23 points in the second half, helping the Lakers bring their overall record back to the .500 mark (23–23). Anthony made 4 of 5 3-point attempts as Los Angeles finished 13-for-30 from beyond the arc.

James moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 15th place on the NBA’s total games played list (1,344). Wendell Carter Jr. was one of six Magic players in double figures with 19 points after he missed seven games with a hamstring injury.

Jazz 111, Pistons 101

Rudy Gobert scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while Bojan Bogdanovic logged 23 points as Utah topped Detroit in Salt Lake City.

Gobert, questionable earlier in the day because of ankle soreness, made 8 of 11 field-goal attempts and blocked four shots. Utah, which again played without Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol), got 20 and 19 points, respectively, from Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley.

Rookie Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points and five assists. He also had six rebounds. Former Jazz forward Trey Lyles scored 16 off the bench.

Hawks 110, Heat 108

Trae Young scored 28 points and Kevin Huerter added 21 as Atlanta hung on to beat visiting Miami and extend its winning streak to three games.

Atlanta nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead when the Heat made six 3-pointers in the final quarter and pulled within a point in the final minute. However, Jimmy Butler missed two shots in the last 22.8 seconds.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 21 points, and Duncan Robinson scored 19.

Hornets 121, Thunder 98

Terry Rozier scored 24 points and host Charlotte won for the seventh time in eight games, defeating Oklahoma City.

Miles Bridges had 22 points and 14 rebounds and P.J. Washington pumped in 20 points. Washington had managed only a combined 22 points in his previous six games, but he drained six 3-pointers on 10 long-range. Rozier finished with nine assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 29 points and Josh Giddey racked up 21 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, whose losing streak reached four games.

Trail Blazers 109, Celtics 105

Jusuf Nurkic had 29 points and 17 rebounds as Portland held host Boston without a field goal for the final 7:19 of the game.

Robert Covington hit a 3-pointer to give Portland a 103–102 lead with 32 seconds left before Jayson Tatum made two foul shots six seconds later to put Boston ahead. Nurkic’s hook shot gave the Blazers the lead with 13 seconds left, and he sealed the victory with two free throws with 0.8 seconds left.

CJ McCollum contributed 24 points, Anfernee Simons added 21, and Ben McLemore had 12 for Portland. Tatum topped the Celtics with 27 points, and Jaylen Brown scored 22.

Raptors 109, Wizards 105

Rookie Scottie Barnes scored a career-best 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Toronto defeated host Washington to win the season series 3–1.

The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 59.5 seconds to play in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points and 12 assists. Pascal Siakam contributed 21 points for Toronto, which completed a 2–3 road trip.

Bradley Beal compiled 25 points and eight assists while committing nine turnovers for the Wizards. Spencer Dinwiddie added 17 points.