NBA roundup: Hawks shed 30-point deficit to edge Celtics

 

[March 26, 2024]  Dejounte Murray scored 19 points, dished out 15 assists and made the go-ahead basket with one minute left to help the Atlanta Hawks overcome a 30-point deficit and stun the visiting Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday.

De'Andre Hunter followed with a 3-pointer to up Atlanta's lead to four points with 10.1 seconds remaining. Jayson Tatum scored on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left for Boston, but Atlanta was able to inbound the ball after a timeout to run out the clock.

No team had successfully come back from a 30-point deficit against the team with the best record in the NBA since the Los Angeles Lakers did so against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 6, 2002.

Monday also marked the Hawks' largest come-from-behind win of the play-by-play era, which began in 1997-98. The Celtics led 68-38 in the second quarter, but Atlanta went on an 18-6 run to cut the lead to 74-56 at halftime.

Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 22. Boston got 37 points and eight rebounds from Tatum and 24 points from Jaylen Brown.

Knicks 124, Pistons 99

Donte DiVincenzo hit a franchise-record 11 3-pointers, scoring a career-high 40 points to lead host New York to a rout of Detroit.

DiVincenzo broke the mark set by J.R. Smith on April 6, 2014, and matched by Evan Fournier on Jan. 6, 2022. Fournier, who was traded by the Knicks to the Pistons on Feb. 8, played for Detroit on Monday night and spent much of the second half covering DiVincenzo.

Josh Hart (11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) posted his sixth triple-double of the season while Jalen Brunson had 28 points for the Knicks. James Wiseman (14 points, 11 rebounds) posted a double-double and Marcus Sasser had 24 points for the Pistons, who have lost seven in a row.

Spurs 104, Suns 102

Jeremy Sochan hit for 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute, as San Antonio hung on to defeat visiting Phoenix in the second game of a two-game set in three days between the teams.

The Spurs played without star rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out just before game time with a sprained left ankle. Sochan also grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 26 points while Zach Collins had 18.

Devin Booker finished with 36 points, Kevin Durant had 29 and Royce O'Neale added 12 for the Suns in the loss.

Cavaliers 115, Hornets 92

Jarrett Allen, Georges Niang and Evan Mobley each scored 17 points and Cleveland pulled away to clobber visiting Charlotte and end a three-game losing streak.

It was a solid turnaround after the Cavaliers lost by 37 points on Sunday night at Miami, as Cleveland shot 53.5 percent from the field and owned a 47-33 rebounding edge.

Brandon Miller racked up 24 points for the Hornets, who were blown out by 41 two nights earlier at Atlanta and finished winless on a four-game road stretch, leaving their overall losing streak at five games.

Nets 96, Raptors 88

Trendon Watford scored 19 points off the bench and visiting Brooklyn ended a six-game losing streak with a win over Toronto.

It was the 11th consecutive loss for the Raptors. Dennis Schroder, who started the season with Toronto, also had 19 points for Brooklyn.

Gary Trent Jr. led Toronto with 18 points. Kelly Olynyk had 10 points and nine assists for the undermanned Raptors, who last won on March 3.

Wizards 107, Bulls 105

Jordan Poole scored a team-high 23 points to lead Washington past host Chicago, giving the Wizards their third straight win.

Corey Kispert added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, while Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points off the bench. DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 27 points, while Coby White scored 22. The Bulls lost their third straight.

After White made a pair of free throws to cut the Wizards' lead to one, Justin Champagnie split two foul shots to make it a two-point game with 5.3 seconds left. DeRozan had a chance to win it but missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.

Mar 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks past Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets 110, Trail Blazers 92

Jalen Green scored 27 points, including 12 during a decisive third-quarter run, to help Houston overcome a sluggish start and defeat visiting Portland.

The Rockets extended their winning streak to nine games and improved to 11-1 in March. Green and Fred VanVleet shot a combined 14-for-44, including 6-for-20 from behind the arc. Jock Landale posted 17 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, while rookie Amen Thompson added 12 points and nine boards.

Dalano Banton paced the Trail Blazers with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Scoot Henderson added 15 points while Toumani Camara chipped in 12 points and five boards as Portland suffered its seventh loss in a row.

Nuggets 128, Grizzlies 103

Nikola Jokic produced 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in his return from a one-game absence and host Denver handed struggling Memphis its fifth loss in six games.

Christian Braun scored 17 points and Reggie Jackson had 15 points for Denver, which is 15-2 since the All-Star break. The Nuggets lead the Oklahoma City Thunder by one game in the race for first place in the Western Conference.

Lamar Stevens scored 19 points off the bench and Scotty Pippen Jr. supplied 17 for the Grizzlies.

Mavericks 115, Jazz 105

Luka Doncic scored 29 points and notched his 19th triple-double of the season to lead Dallas past Utah in Salt Lake City.

Doncic, who finished with 13 assists and 12 rebounds, also scored six points during a decisive 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. Kyrie Irving added 27 points for the Mavericks, who have won four straight games and eight of their past nine.

Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 34 points for the struggling Jazz, who have lost six consecutive games and 17 of 20. Utah only scored 17 points in the final quarter and 39 in the second half after a strong offensive showing in the first half.

Kings 108, 76ers 96

Keegan Murray and De'Aaron Fox each scored 23 points, Domantas Sabonis added to his NBA triple-double lead and host Sacramento gradually pulled away from road-weary Philadelphia.

Sabonis finished with 11 points and game highs of 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings, who opened a key five-game homestand with their sixth win in the past eight games.

Tyrese Maxey had a game-high 29 points for the 76ers, who completed their six-day, Western Conference road trip with a 1-3 mark.

Pacers 133, Clippers 116

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points and Myles Turner added 24 as Indiana turned improved defense into a victory over host Los Angeles.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 points and handed out nine assists and T.J. McConnell added 15 points as the Pacers won for the third time in four games. Indiana held the Clippers in check after allowing 150 points to the Los Angeles Lakers in a defeat on Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each scored 26 points as the Clippers dropped their second home game in a row and fell into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference. Russell Westbrook added 14 points and seven assists in 18 minutes in his first game following surgery for a fractured left hand.

--Field Level Media

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