AROUND THE NBA

AROUND THE NBA

Wednesday’s games and notes

Celtics 103, Cavaliers 99

BOSTON

Isaiah Thomas scored 31 points, including a pair of go-ahead free throws, as the Boston Celtics outlasted LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston’s win overshadowed the seventh triple-double of the season for James, who finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving added 28 points for the Cavaliers, who lost for the first time when leading at any point in the fourth quarter on the road. The game also marked the third meeting this season between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, and the first win by the Celtics. Jae Crowder had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which led by three entering the fourth quarter before there were six ties and 10 lead changes in the final 12 minutes.

Deron Williams, signed by Cleveland earlier this week, scored four points in 24 minutes in his Cavaliers debut.

Hawks 100, Mavericks 95

ATLANTA

Paul Millsap scored on a drive with 30.5 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks held off the rallying Dallas Mavericks. After Millsap’s basket put the Hawks ahead 96-95, Harrison Barnes missed a chance to put the Mavericks back in front. His jumper was off the mark with Kent Bazemore right in his face. Ersan Ilyasova was fouled going for the rebound and knocked down both free throws to extend Atlanta’s lead with 11.1 seconds left. Dallas still had a chance to force overtime, but Seth Curry slipped on the inbounds pass and Bazemore scooped up the loose ball, taking off the other way for a dunk that clinched the victory. Millsap had 18 points and just missed a triple-double, dishing out 10 assists to go with eight rebounds. Ilyasova also finished with 18 points. Barnes led the Mavericks with 25 points.

Knicks 101, Magic 90

ORLANDO, FLA.

Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Derrick Rose added 19 points to help the New York Knicks cruise to a victory over the Orlando Magic. Facing an Orlando team adjusting to playing with a smaller lineup, the Knicks used their superior size to their advantage all night. Porzingis, who returned from missing two games with an ankle injury, presented matchup problems for the Magic when they attempted to put their big men on him outside and he took the smaller players inside. Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and Justin Holiday added 14 off the bench for the Knicks. Lance Thomas scored 11. The Magic, coming off a home win over Atlanta on Saturday, endured a setback as they attempt to shift to a smaller lineup late in the season. Evan Fournier led four Magic players in double figures with 22 points.

Wizards 105, Raptors 96

TORONTO

Bojan Bogdanovic had 27 points off the bench and Bradley Beal added 23 as the Washington Wizards snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Toronto Raptors. John Wall had 12 points and 13 assists for his 39th double-double of the season as the third-place Wizards took the first of a home-and-home series against Toronto, moving a game up on fourth-place Toronto in the standings. DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and Serge Ibaka added 22 more for the Raptors, who were again without All-Star Kyle Lowry, following the guard’s wrist surgery that will keep him out the remainder of the regular season.

Heat 125, 76ers 98

MIAMI

Tyler Johnson scored 24 points off the bench, and the Miami Heat never trailed in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Wayne Ellington made six 3-pointers for 18 points for Miami, which has won 10 of its past 11 at home. Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic all scored 15 for the Heat, and Whiteside also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Robert Covington scored 19 for the 76ers, who learned earlier Wednesday that center Joel Embiid will miss the remainder of the season with a left knee injury. Richaun Holmes scored 15 and T.J. McConnell added 14 for Philadelphia, which lost its third straight.

Pelicans 109, Pistons 86

NEW ORLEANS

Anthony Davis had 33 points and 14 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three-game skid. Pistons 6-foot-11 center Andre Drummond was ejected for swatting at the back of 6-1 Pelicans guard Tim Frazier’s head after Frazier had ripped away a rebound late in the third quarter. Drummond had 13 points and 17 rebounds to that point, but also missed nine of 10 free throws. Jrue Holiday had 22 points for the Pelicans, who were without newly acquired All-Star DeMarcus Cousins because of Cousins’ one-game suspension that was triggered when he received his 18th technical foul of this season on Sunday night. Dante Cunningham added 16 for New Orleans, hitting four 3-pointers. Jon Leuer scored 22 points for Detroit.

Nuggets 110, Bucks 98

MILWAUKEE

Nikola Jokic had his second triple-double in two nights to lead the Denver Nuggets. Jokic finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth career triple-double — all in his last 13 games. Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points for Denver, which played without point guard Jameer Nelson (illness) for the first time this season. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton finished with a season-high 21 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. The Bucks also got 15 points and nine rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo, but failed in their attempt to win back-to-back home games for the first time since Jan. 2.

Spurs 100, Pacers 99

SAN ANTONIO

Kawhi Leonard had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs returned from an eight-game road trip to beat the Indiana Pacers. Leonard hit a turnaround, fade-away jumper from 16 feet against Paul George with 2.4 seconds left to win it. George finished with 22 points, C.J. Miles added 19 and Myles Turner had 16. Pau Gasol and David Lee had 18 points each off the bench for the Spurs. The battle between All-Star forwards was a stalemate until the final five minutes. Leonard scored San Antonio’s final nine points during that stretch, including the game-winning shot, while George was limited to a pair of free throws.

Associated Press