Dragic’s late basket sinks Pacers, Magic nip 76ers
>>LOS ANGELES: Miami’s Goran Dragic drained the game-winning basket with 6.8 seconds remaining as the Heat edged the Indiana Pacers 113-112 in a wild NBA finish on Friday.
The Heat took their league-best home record to 14-1, but the injury-hit Pacers made them work every step of the way.
Dragic’s jump shot in the lane was Miami’s third attempt on a scrambling possession that had seen both Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn miss and the Heat secure the rebounds.
“That’s who we are, man,” said Butler, who led the Heat with 20 points. “Never give up on any play.”
Indiana’s Aaron Holiday had a last chance for a game-winner but his effort failed to fall.
Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 15 rebounds, including the offensive rebound of Nunn’s miss that made Dragic’s game-winner possible in a contest that saw 20 lead changes.
“The ball didn’t want to go in, but we came up with two huge offensive rebounds, first Jimmy, then Bam,” Dragic said. “The ball came to me. I was just open and I made the shot.”
The Heat maintained their third spot in the Eastern Conference led by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The absence of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo proved no problem for the Bucks in a 112-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Khris Middleton scored 23 points as the Bucks bounced back from their Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers were unable to build on their upset of the Bucks, falling 98-97 to the Magic in Orlando.
Sixers centre Joel Embiid drained two three-pointers in the final 25 seconds, but his desperate long-range effort as time expired wouldn’t fall and the Magic escaped with the win.
Boston, second in the East, cruised to their fifth straight victory, 129-117 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jaylen Brown matched his career high with 34 points and Jayson Tatum added 30 for the Celtics, who improved to 22-7.
Brown’s outburst followed a 30-point performance in a Christmas Day win at reigning champions Toronto and marked the first time in his career that he had consecutive 30-point games.
It was close in Charlotte, where the Oklahoma City Thunder survived a fourth-quarter comeback from the Hornets to triumph 104-102 in overtime.
The Golden State Warriors’ resurgence continued with a 105-96 come-from-behind win over the Phoenix Suns.
D’Angelo Russell scored 31 points and handed out six assists for the Warriors, who trailed most of the night and erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit on the way to their fourth straight win — just their ninth of a season marred by multiple injuries.