|
 San Antonio pushed aside the upset-minded Pacers with a 9-2 surge to
end the third quarter and carried that momentum forward, expanding
its lead to as many as 18 points in the final minutes. The Spurs
outscored Indiana 34-26 over the last 15 minutes.
Leonard, who has now led the Spurs in scoring in 18 games this
season, also played near-shutdown defense on Paul George, who scored
just seven points -- only two of those after halftime -- on 1-of-14
shooting from the floor.
Thunder 100, Clippers 99
LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Durant scored the game-winning basket with 5.8
seconds left and blocked Chris Paul's shot near the buzzer, boosting
Oklahoma City past Los Angeles.
Russell Westbrook scored 33 points and dished out seven assists,
while Durant added 24 points and nine rebounds as the Thunder won
for the eighth time in nine games. Serge Ibaka contributed 17 points
and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City.
Paul had 32 points and 10 assists to lead the Clippers, who lost
their third straight. Blake Griffin and guard J.J. Redick scored 15
apiece for Los Angeles.
Jazz 110, Suns 89
SALT LAKE CITY -- Gordon Hayward scored 24 points, and Utah won
consecutive games for the first time in December.
Hayward opened the game with a 3-pointer and scored 12 points in the
first quarter to put the Jazz in control from the beginning.
Hayward hit eight of 16 shots and also finished with four assists,
three rebounds and two steals. Derrick Favors contributed 18 points
and nine rebounds, while guard Rodney Hood added 14 points.
Rockets 102, Hornets 95
HOUSTON -- James Harden and Terrence Jones converted three-point
plays inside the final minute as Houston held on.
After former Rockets guard Jeremy Lin pushed Charlotte to an 89-88
lead with a free throw at the 1:41 mark, Jones turned a spinning,
twisting layup into a basket while scoring through a Cody Zeller
foul.
Jones converted the free throw, and after Zeller pulled the Hornets
even with a layup following a deft pass from Lin, Harden added a
3-point play to boost the Rockets lead to a 94-91 edge with 31.6
seconds left.
Hawks 106, Trail Blazers 97
ATLANTA -- Atlanta used a balanced attack and strong bench
production to wear down shorthanded Portland forf its fourth win in
a row.
Reserve Dennis Schroder led six Hawks in double figures with 18
points, and starting point guard Jeff Teague added 13 points and
handed out eight assists.
Tim Frazier started in place of injured All-Star point guard Damian
Lillard, who missed the first game of his NBA career with plantar
fasciitis in his left heel.
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Magic 107, Knicks 99
NEW YORK -- Nikola Vucevic matched his season high with 26 points,
leading Orlando Magic past New York.
The 7-foot center shot 13-for-19 from the floor. Tobias Harris
contributed 20 points, and Evan Fournier added 16 points for the
Magic.
Lance Thomas came off the Knicks' bench to match his career high, 24
points. Carmelo Anthony added 23 points for New York.
Wizards 113, Kings 99
WASHINGTON -- Guard John Wall set a career-high with 19 assists and
center Marcin Gortat scored a season-high 27 points as shorthanded
Washington defeated Sacramento.
Garrett Temple established a new career-high in consecutive games
with 23 points and Wall scored 12 for the Wizards.
Washington only had nine players available because of injuries.
Coach Randy Wittman used just seven for all but the final minute.
Celtics 113, Timberwolves 99
BOSTON -- The TD Garden crowd came to pay tribute to old friend
Kevin Garnett in what might well be his final visit as a player on
Monday night. Instead, with Garnett sitting on the bench and the
fans calling for him, the Boston folks had to settle for a Celtics
win.
Kelly Olynyk and David Lee, both starting because of injuries to
Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson, combined for 32 points and 13
rebounds in the victory.
The Garden crowd, some wearing Garnett Celtics shirts, chanted "We
want K-G" and "K-G" often and loud. Near the end of the game they
chanted "Thank you, K-G." During a timeout with 1:02 left, Garnett
rose and saluted the crowd, the words, "I love y'all" clear on his
lips.
Nets 105, Bulls 102
CHICAGO -- Brooklyn snapped a five-game losing streak and notched
its second road win of the season with.
The Nets, who improved to 2-12 on the road for the season, lost
their previous eight road games. Brooklyn got 21 points and 12
rebounds from Brook Lopez.
Chicago's Jimmy Butler (24 points) hit a 3-pointer in the game's
last seconds to provide the final score. The Bulls lost their third
consecutive game, matching their longest losing streak of the
season.
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