NEW YORK — Payton Pritchard scored 32 points, Jaylen Brown had 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics outlasted the lottery-bound Brooklyn Nets 130-126 in double overtime on Friday night.
Hugo González forced the second OT on a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in the first extra period. Baylor Scheierman found the 19-year-old Spanish rookie with a no-look pass and González buried the wide-open shot from the corner.
The Celtics, who have won four of five, never trailed in the second OT. Anfernee Simmons put Boston ahead for good with a three-point play, and Sam Hauser’s 3-pointer made it 128-124 with 1:51 left.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and Nolan Traore added a career-high 21 for the Nets, who nearly knocked off the second-place team in the Eastern Conference two days after they were beaten 120-66 by the crosstown New York Knicks.
Nic Claxton forced overtime with a putback dunk with 1.9 seconds left and finished with 19 points for the Nets, who have lost nine of 10.
Brooklyn led 117-112 with 7.9 seconds left in the first OT. Pritchard hit a 3-pointer for Boston, then fouled Traore, who made 1 of 2 free throws to set up González’s tying 3.
Brown had three rebounds in the second overtime to complete his fifth career triple-double.
PACERS 117, THUNDER 114
OKLAHOMA CITY — Andrew Nembhard had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Jarace Walker added a career-high 26 for Indiana, which withstood a late rally to beat Oklahoma City in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
Walker, whose previous high was 21 points, sank four free throws in the final 10 seconds to lift injury-riddled Indiana (11-35), which snapped a three-game skid. Pascal Siakam added 21 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 47 points for the NBA-best Thunder, who were also depleted by injuries with Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso among those sidelined. Chet Holmgren added 25 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
It was the second and final meeting this season between the Pacers and Thunder, whose fortunes have diverged since Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton tore an Achilles tendon early in Game 7 of last season’s NBA finals. Oklahoma City went on to win its first title and has the league’s best record (37-9), although the Thunder have slowed after a 24-1 start.
Oklahoma City trailed 113-103 with 2:35 remaining but pulled within 115-114 on a pair of free throws by Gilgeous-Alexander with 7.8 seconds left. After two free throws by Walker, the Thunder’s Isaiah Joe missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, made 17 of 28 field goals and all 12 free throws, and he scored nine points in the final 2 minutes.
ROCKETS 111, PISTONS 104
DETROIT — Kevin Durant scored 32 points as Houston ended Detroit's four-game winning streak with a victory.
Durant averages 30.6 points in 32 career games against the Pistons - his highest average against any other team. He added seven rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes without a turnover.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Reed Shepherd added 18 points for the Rockets, who have won four of five. Amen Thompson had 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Houston, which had lost five straight on the road.
Jalen Duren led Detroit with 18 points and seven rebounds, but Detroit’s other four starters combined for 37 points on 13-of-35 shooting (37.1 per cent).
Houston outscored Detroit 34-20 in the third quarter to turn a tie game into an 86-72 lead. Durant and Sheppard combined for 18 points in the quarter on 7-for-8 shooting.
Detroit got within 87-80 with a four-point possession early in the fourth. Cade Cunningham missed, but Jae’Sean Tate was called for a flagrant foul when he undercut Ron Holland II as he went for the rebound. Holland made both free throws and Duren dunked off a Cunningham lob.
HAWKS 110, SUNS 103
ATLANTA — Jalen Johnson scored 23 points and tied a career high with 18 rebounds for his NBA-leading 30th double-double, and Atlanta rallied to beat Phoenix after the Suns lost Devin Booker to a right ankle injury.
Onyeka Okungwu had 25 points for the Hawks, who trailed 91-84 late in the third quarter but gained momentum after Booker went down. The Suns star scored a team-high 31 points and added four rebounds and three assists before leaving.
CJ McCollum extended his double-digit scoring streak to 34 games, scoring 21 points off the bench and adding four rebounds. McCollum and Corey Kispert were acquired in a trade with Washington in exchange for Trae Young in early January.
The Hawks, who outscored the Suns 26-12 in the fourth quarter, were 43 of 81 from the field overall, including 13 of 26 from 3-point range.
It was the second and final meeting between the teams this season. Atlanta beat Phoenix 124-122 earlier this season in mid-November.
CAVALIERS 123, KINGS 118
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Evan Mobley matched a season high with 29 and Cleveland showed some more encouraging signs in a win over Sacramento.
The Cavs, who have been streaky through much of this season, won for the fourth time in five games. They also improved to 16-5 against teams with losing records.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson has been hoping to get more consistency from his team, which can look like title contenders one night and dismal the next. That trend continued against the Kings, who rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 114-113 lead with four minutes left.
But Mitchell, who has carried the Cavs through several rough patches, dropped a big 3-pointer with 2:29 remaining to put Cleveland up 118-114.
The Kings had several chances to get closer, but they missed three straight 3-pointers in the last minute and Cavs guard Jaylon Tyson put them away by making a floater with 25.6 seconds to go.
Mobley added 13 rebounds and seven assists in one of the defensive-minded forward’s best all-around games.
PELICANS 133, GRIZZLIES 127
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Saddiq Bey scored 19 of his season-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and New Orleans erased a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Memphis.
Trey Murphy III scored 32 points for New Orleans, while Zion Williamson finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Pelicans snapped a three-game losing streak.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Jock Landale added 24 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Spencer had 21 for Memphis, shooting 7 of 9, including 4 of 6 from outside the arc.
The Pelicans, who had lost six straight to Memphis, trailed 123-122 after Jackson scored inside. But Williams scored on a three-point play and Bey added a 3-pointer to preserve New Orleans’ victory.
The Pelicans are anchoring last place in the Western Conference, while Memphis — which has lost five of seven — sits just outside 10th place.
Memphis built a 13-point lead with accurate shooting in the third quarter, but New Orleans whittled into the advantage as Williamson used his bulk in getting to the rim against a smaller Grizzlies defender in the fourth. Between Williamson and Bey, the Pelicans overtook the Grizzlies.
NUGGETS 102, BUCKS 100
MILWAUKEE — Julian Strawther scored a season-high 20 points and short-handed Denver built a 23-point lead before hanging on to beat slumping Milwaukee.
After trailing 86-63 with 10 1/2 minutes left, Milwaukee cut Denver’s lead to 99-97 on Ryan Rollins’ 3-pointer with 29.3 seconds remaining. Denver made it 101-97 when Tim Hardaway Jr. sank two free throws with 10.6 seconds left.
Rollins hit another 3 to make it 101-100 with 5.4 seconds left. Jalen Pickett got fouled with 4.5 seconds remaining and hit his first free throw, but missed the second.
Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma got the rebound, dribbled just beyond midcourt and fired a desperation shot that bounced off the front rim.
Rollins scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Bucks, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee before leaving with 34 seconds left.
RAPTORS 110, TRAIL BLAZERS 98
PORTLAND, Ore. — Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 22 points and Brandon Ingram added 20 to help Toronto beat Portland.
The Raptors led by as many as 13 and dominated most of the game despite being outscored from the 3-point line (39-27) and losing the turnover battle (16-13).
The Blazers were without star forward Deni Avdija, who missed the game with a lower back strain.
Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe each scored 21 points in the loss that snapped Portland’s four-game win streak.
Toronto, which has won three straight, led 76-74 heading into the fourth quarter.
Holiday tied the game at 76 on Portland’s first possession of the fourth quarter. Donovan Clingan briefly gave Portland a 78-76 lead before the Raptors hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 82-78. A dunk by Scottie Barnes extended the advantage to 84-78 with 9:58 left.
Holiday scored nine of Portland’s first 11 points in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors kept them at bay with a balanced attack.
Mamukelashvili was fouled on a layup that put the Raptors up 95-87 and after he failed to convert the 3-point play, the Raptors scored off the rebound on a basket from Ingram to up the lead to 10.
Caleb Love’s 3-pointer made it 98-94 but that was as close as Portland would get in the fourth quarter.
