Kawhi Leonard hit the go-ahead jumper with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter and scored 14 of his 21 points during a game-ending 22-0 run for the Los Angeles Clippers, who stormed back for a 125-114 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
The Nets held a 114-103 lead on a basket by Mikal Bridges with 5:33 remaining, but after a timeout, the Clippers began their run. Paul George started it with a 3-pointer, and Los Angeles took its first lead when Leonard’s 9-foot fadeaway made it 115-114 with 2:50 left.
After making two free throws, Leonard hit a 3-pointer with 64 seconds left and another triple with 29.9 seconds to go to clinch the Clippers’ 24th win in their past 31 games.
Leonard shot 6-for-15 overall on a day where the Clippers struggled to find their rhythm until the fourth. James Harden led Los Angeles with 24 points, eight of which came in the fourth, while handing out 10 assists.
Bridges scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half for the Nets. Cam Thomas added 20 while Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton contributed 16 apiece, but Brooklyn missed its final eight shots and lost for the 10th time in 12 games.
Nuggets 113, Wizards 104
Nikola Jokic scored 42 points on 15-of-20 shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds as visiting Denver beat Washington.
Jokic, who had eight assists, is shooting 74.6 percent from the floor in the past 12 games, leading Denver to eight wins in that span.
Tyus Jones had 15 points and 13 assists, Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points and Daniel Gafford also scored 15 points for the Wizards.
Suns 117, Pacers 110
Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and Phoenix recovered after squandering a double-digit lead to hold off visiting Indiana.
The Suns built a 14-point lead just past the midpoint of the first quarter and kept the Pacers at arm’s length much of the night until an 11-0 Indiana run in the fourth. Buddy Hield bookended the run with two of his five 3-pointers on the night. Hield led six Pacers scorers in double figures with 18 points.
Phoenix answered Indiana’s surge with a game-closing 14-5 run, ignited when Durant made the last of his four treys. The Suns’ Devin Booker added 26 points despite shooting 1-for-7 from 3-point range. He also dished out a game-high eight assists.
Magic 105, Heat 87
Paolo Banchero collected 20 points and 10 rebounds to fuel host Orlando past Miami.
Banchero made 7 of 14 shots from the floor and 3 of 5 from 3-point range to help Orlando defeat its Sunshine State rival for the first time in three meetings this season.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and Jimmy Butler added 15 points. Tyler Herro drained four 3-pointers to account for his 12 points for the Heat, who mustered a season low in points en route to losing their third straight game.
Celtics 116, Rockets 107
Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 32 points while Jaylen Brown added a triple-double as visiting Boston outlasted short-handed Houston.
Porzingis finished 6-for-11 from behind the arc as the Celtics went 17-for-47 from deep as a team. Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Derrick White finished with 21 points and 11 boards for Boston, which was without Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Al Horford (rest).
The Rockets were without starters Fred VanVleet (back) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle). Rookie Amen Thompson had career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and Dillon Brooks scored 25 points.
Lakers 134, Trail Blazers 110
D’Angelo Russell scored 34 points to go along with eight assists and LeBron James added 28 points as Los Angeles got back on track with a victory over visiting Portland.
Anthony Davis added 14 points and 14 rebounds as Los Angeles won two days after a noncompetitive second half in a defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. The up-and-down Lakers are 5-7 since Dec. 30. Austin Reaves had 15 points for Los Angeles. He went 3-for-4 from 3-point range, one game after going 0-for-6 from distance.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points and dished out nine assists and Anfernee Simons added 19 points as the Blazers saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in the opener of a four-game road trip. Jerami Grant scored 17 points and Duop Reath had 16 for the Trail Blazers, who were unable to match their longest winning streak of the season.
–Field Level Media
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