Rozier steers Celtics to victory

TERRY Rozier’s steal and layup with 1.2 seconds remaining yesterday gave Boston a 112-111 NBA victory over the Indiana Pacers after the Celtics squandered a 19-point lead.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points while Al Horford scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed off nine assists.

Jayson Tatum contributed 16 points and Marcus Smart added 15 and the Celtics made their first 10 shots and improved the best record in the Eastern Conference to 26-7.

Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points on 16-of-28 shooting from the floor and sank the winning free throw after being fouled later in the host Thunder’s 95-94 victory over Denver.

Houston stretched its win streak to 14 games with a 120-99 rout of visiting Utah as Eric Gordon scored 33 points, making a career-high seven 3-pointers, and James Harden added 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists with Chris Paul contributing 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler, who scored 37 points, hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left and Damian Lillard missed a 3point shot at the buzzer as the host Timberwolves held off Portland 108-107.

Nikola Mirotic and Kris Dunn each scored 22 points and Justin Holiday added 20 to power the host Chicago Bulls to their sixth consecutive victory, a 117-115 triumph over Philadelphia. Dario Saric led the 76ers with 27 points while Australian rookie star Ben Simmons added 19 points.