Kawhi, Spurs overcome Cavaliers in OT
Pistons sneak by Wizards at the buzzer. Blazers need overtime to clip Celtics. Suns nip Knicks
Kawhi Leonard capped his career-high, 41-point night with a dunk in the final seconds and the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 118-115 overtime victory Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James tied up Leonard for a jump ball with 13 seconds left and the Cavs down three. James won the tip, but the ball was headed out of bounds when Kevin Love saved it and fired it behind his back inbounds.
Leonard caught the pass and sprinted to the other end for the dunk and the clincher with four seconds left.
After LaMarcus Aldridge missed a pair of free throws in the final second of overtime and the Cavs called timeout, Love missed a corner three-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve forced double overtime. Love shot just 3-of-11 from the threepoint line Saturday.
The Cavs had plenty of chances late, but went scoreless for about two minutes late in overtime.
James received an inbounds pass with 24 seconds left and a chance to tie with a three. He fired a bounce pass to the corner, but no one was standing there on the busted play.
James expected Kyrie Irving to cut to the corner, but he never did and James was charged with his seventh turnover of the night.
Leonard surpassed 30 points for the sixth straight game, while Aldridge scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Spurs. David Lee scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds starting in place of Pau Gasol, who is out with a fractured bone in his left hand.
Tony Parker also missed the game with an ankle injury.
James and Irving each scored 29 points and Love had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs. Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Pistons 113, Wizards 112
Marcus Morris made a put-back at the buzzer to give Detroit a victory over Washington at The Palace.
The Pistons, who gave away a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter, got off three shots during a wild scramble in the closing seconds before Morris’ game-winner.
Morris finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, while his twin brother, Markieff, led the Wizards with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Hornets 112, Nets 105
Nicolas Batum converted a four-point play and hit another three-pointer in a span of 31 seconds down the stretch, and Charlotte pulled out a victory over visiting Brooklyn.
Batum hit a three-pointer, was fouled and hit the free throw to give the Hornets the lead for good at 101-98 with 3:21 left. Then he hit another three on the Hornets’ next possession to push the lead to 104-98 with 2:50 remaining. The Hornets pushed the lead to nine from there and never let the Nets closer than five again.
Trail Blazers 127, Celtics 123 (OT)
Portland ended a four-game losing streak and rode star guard Damian Lillard to a victory over Boston in overtime.
Lillard, who had three points at halftime, scored 25 points after the break, seven of them in overtime, as the Trail Blazers handed the Celtics their second straight home loss.
Suns 107, Knicks 105
Devin Booker poured in 26 points, including what turned out to be the game-winner, to give Phoenix a win over New York at Madison Square Garden.
Booker’s backcourt mate, Eric Bledsoe, contributed 23 points and seven assists for the Suns. Tyson Chandler grabbed 16 rebounds, extending his streak to seven straight games with at least 15 rebounds, a team record.
Rockets 119, Grizzlies 95
James Harden posted another double-double with 29 points with 10 assists and forward Sam Dekker scored a careerhigh 30 points as Houston cruised to a victory over Memphis.
Harden did much of his damage at the foul line, where he was 11-of-12. He finished 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range. He also had six rebounds, three steals, and six turnovers. Dekker made 12-of-19 shots and was 6-of11 behind the arc.
Bulls 102, Kings 99
Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and made several defensive stops in the fourth quarter, and Chicago held on for a win over Sacramento.
Jimmy Butler added 23 points for the Bulls, who snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 14-9 at home.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 42 points and 14 boards, while Israeli Omri Casspi is still out with an injury. (Reuters)