LeBron James tipped in the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
James, who didn’t connect on a field goal until the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers (44-28) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Trailing by three with five minutes left, Los Angeles went on an 11-2 run. The Pacers then retook the lead with seven straight points to grab a 119-118 edge with 42 seconds left. After Bennedict Mathurin missed a 3-pointer, the Lakers’ Luka Doncic missed a floater, but James got a hand on the ball for the tip-in just a split-second before the buzzer.
Doncic had 34 points, seven boards and seven assists for Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves scored 24 and Hachimura added 14. Indiana (42-30) was led by Mathurin’s 23 points off the bench and Haliburton’s 16 points and 18 assists. Myles Turner contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end.
Wizards 119, 76ers 114
Alex Sarr had 24 points to lead Washington to a road win over Philadelphia to snap a five-game losing streak.
Justin Champagnie had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who shot 50.5 percent from the field, including 18 of 44 3-pointers. Jordan Poole chipped in with 18 points and seven assists.
Quentin Grimes paced the 76ers with 22 points, while Guerschon Yabusele went for 21 points and eight boards. With 19 points and 10 rebounds, Justin Edwards recorded his first career double-double for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth straight.
Raptors 116, Nets 86
With Orlando Robinson going for 23 points and 12 rebounds, Toronto picked up its largest margin of victory of the season with the rout of Brooklyn in New York.
Robinson, starting in place of the resting Jakob Poeltl, hit 10 of 14 shots to give the Raptors their second straight win. Jonathan Mogbo had 16 points off the bench for Toronto, while R.J. Barrett and Scottie Barnes both scored 15.
Nic Claxton had 22 points and 11 boards to lead the Nets, who lost their fifth straight and 16th in 19 games. Ziaire Williams finished with 13 points for Brooklyn, which committed 20 turnovers that turned into 30 points for the Raptors.
Nuggets 127, Bucks 117
In his first appearance after a five-game absence due to injuries to his left ankle and right elbow, Nikola Jokic piled up 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 30th triple-double of the season to lead Denver to a home win over Milwaukee.
Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points and 10 boards for the Nuggets, Christian Braun chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray finished with 17 points.
Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left foot sprain) and Damian Lillard (deep vein thrombosis), the Bucks were paced by Brook Lopez, who had 26 points. Ryan Rollins added 17 off the bench, while Gary Trent Jr. scored 16.
Clippers 126, Knicks 113
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined for 56 points as Los Angeles rode a 16-of-30 3-point shooting performance to knock off host New York.
Harden showed no ill effects from a foot injury sustained on Sunday vs. Oklahoma City, pacing the Clippers’ 3-point barrage by hitting 6 of 9 from beyond the arc on the way to 29 points for Los Angeles. Leonard flirted with a triple-double, going for 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, marking his seventh straight game scoring at least 23 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with game-highs of 34 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby scored 28 points and Mikal Bridges finished with 17 points and nine assists. The Knicks played without Jalen Brunson for the 10th consecutive game.
Celtics 132, Suns 102
Kristaps Porzingis recorded 30 points and eight rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 24 points to help Boston roll to a dismantling of host Phoenix.
Porzingis and Brown each made four 3-pointers while playing just three quarters and Boston matched a season best with its seventh straight win. The Celtics have won 12 of their past 13 games and are 4-0 on a six-game road trip. Al Horford had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick White added 16 points and seven assists and Jrue Holiday also scored 16 points for the Celtics.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points in three quarters for the Suns, who had a four-game winning streak halted in the finale of a five-game homestand. Phoenix is tied with Dallas for the final Western Conference play-in spot. Devin Booker added 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and Nick Richards scored 10 points for the Suns.
–Field Level Media
