Josh Richardson scored 24 points off the bench and Keldon Johnson blocked the potential game-winning shot in the final seconds as the San Antonio Spurs held on for a wild 112–111 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
The Spurs led by 16 points at intermission and by 92–78 after three quarters, but Cleveland clawed back to within 110–106 on two free throws by Jarrett Allen with 3:04 to play. A basket by Devin Vassell was answered by a pair of foul shots by Darius Garland with 1:38 left.
Donovan Mitchell’s putback layup with 53 seconds remaining brought Cleveland to within two points, and a free throw by Evan Mobley with 37.9 seconds left made it 112–111. After Tre Jones missed a reverse layup with 12.6 seconds left, the Cavaliers had a chance to win, but Mitchell’s layup with 6.7 seconds to go was blocked by Johnson.
Heat 87, Pacers 82
Jimmy Butler scored seven of his 20 points during a pivotal fourth-quarter run to lead Miami to a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.Bam Adebayo joined Butler as Miami’s only other scorer in double figures. He finished with 22 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Adebayo also grabbed 12 of his game-high 17 rebounds before intermission.
Trail Blazers 133, Timberwolves 112
Damian Lillard matched his career high of 11 3-pointers and scored 38 points in three quarters of action to lead Portland to an easy wire-to-wire victory over visiting Minnesota.Lillard missed just six of his 17 3-point attempts to reach his franchise-record total of 11 for the third time. Jerami Grant added 24 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 16 rebounds. Shaedon Sharpe had 14 points and Anfernee Simons added 12 for the Trail Blazers.
Clippers 113, Celtics 93
Paul George scored 26 points and Kawhi Leonard had a season-high 25 points with nine rebounds as Los Angeles returned from an East Coast road trip to earn a victory over visiting Boston.Marcus Morris Sr. scored 13 points as the Clippers took the lead for good in the second quarter and led by double digits for most of the second half while earning the victory over the team with the top record in the NBA.
Nets 112, Wizards 100
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points, leading a cadre of returning players in double figures as visiting Brooklyn continued surging with a win over Washington.The Nets won for the eighth time in nine games as Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, T.J. Warren, and Nic Claxton all returned after missing Brooklyn’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Irving added 24 points, including nine during a second-quarter run in which the Nets took the lead for good.
Grizzlies 128, Hawks 103
Tyus Jones had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists and host Memphis won its sixth straight game, earning a victory over short-handed Atlanta.Jones was 8–for–14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, to go along with three steals. Dillon Brooks added 18 points, Santi Aldama had 16 and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high eight blocked shots. The Grizzlies had seven players score in double figures.
Mavericks 121, Thunder 114
Luka Doncic scored 38 points, narrowly missing a triple-double, to lead host Dallas to a win over Oklahoma City.Doncic added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Spencer Dinwiddie also was close to a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. The Mavericks needed a big offensive performance, as Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career high with 42 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a flurry, with six points and an assist in the final 2:03 to cut the Dallas lead to five with 28.1 seconds remaining. But Reggie Bullock hit a pair of free throws and Maxi Kleber had a steal late to clinch the game for the Mavericks. Dallas hit 22 3-pointers, their second most of the season, with Tim Hardaway Jr. leading the Mavericks with six.
