DeRozan jumper lifts Raptors past Knicks
DeMar DeRozan made a turnaround jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining to finish with 37 points and lead the Toronto Raptors to a 92-91 victory over the Knicks last night in New York.
The Raptors won their fourth in a row, doing it with DeRozan and after learning yesterday that All-Star Kyle Lowry will have right wrist surgery that may sideline him the rest of the regular season.
Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points for the Knicks, but finished a 9-for-26 night when he missed a long jumper as time expired.
Newcomers Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker were on the floor down the stretch as the Raptors clawed back from a 17-point, firsthalf deficit. Ibaka finished with 15 points.
Toronto moved percentage points ahead of Washington for third place in the Eastern Conference race, and host the Wizards tomorrow night.
Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee each scored 16 points for the Knicks, who waived Brandon Jennings yesterday and learned Joakim Noah will have knee surgery that will knock him out for at least three weeks.
Lowry will have surgery on his right wrist to remove loose bodies and hopes to return for the playoffs. He is second on the team with a 22.8 average.
Cavaliers 102, Bucks 95 — LeBron James returned from a bout with strep throat and scored 24 points, Kyrie Irving added 25 as host Cleveland held off Milwaukee.
James missed Saturday’s loss to Chicago — the Cavs fell to 0-4 this season without their superstar — and was listed as questionable before arriving at Quicken Loans Arena. He looked fit from the start, though, as his dunk triggered an 11-0 run that helped put away the Bucks, who were within 86-85 midway through the fourth.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 to lead Milwaukee, and Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored just nine on 4-of-13 shooting.
The Bucks may have sustained a costly injury as forward Michael Beasley sprained his left knee in the first half.
Free agent point guard Deron Williams signed with the Cavaliers.
Warriors 119, 76ers 108 — Kevin Durant had 27 points in his return to the lineup and Golden State overcame the worst 3-point shooting performance of Stephen Curry’s career to beat host Philadelphia.
Curry was 0-for-11 from 3-point range. That topped his previous worst outing without making a 3-pointer when he went 0-for-10 on Nov. 4 against the Lakers. The two-time reigning MVP entered leading the league by a wide margin with 231 3-pointers this season. Curry still had 19 points, making 7-of-12 2-point attempts and all five of free-throw tries.
Klay Thompson scored 21 points and Draymond Green had 14 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals for the Warriors.
Dario Saric had 21 points for Philadelphia, which once again played without big man Joel Embiid, who is out indefinitely with a left knee injury after he experienced soreness following recent training sessions.
Mavericks 96, Heat 89 — Seth Curry scored 29 points, Harrison Barnes added 24 and host Dallas dealt Miami just its third loss in 19 games.
Goran Dragic scored 24 points for the Heat, who went scoreless over the final 4:37 as a three-game winning streak ended.
Pacers 117, Rockets 108 — Jeff Teague scored 25 points and visiting Indiana overcame a huge first-half deficit and withstood a late rally by Houston.
C.J. Miles made a 3-pointer with 40.8 seconds left to make it 113-108, and Teague made a pair of free throws after that to put the game out of reach.
Timberwolves 102, Kings 88 — Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 17 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and visiting Minnesota beat Sacramento.
Ricky Rubio had nine points and 11 assists to help the Timberwolves move within one game of the Kings as both teams try to catch Denver for the eighth spot in the West.
Elsewhere in the NBA — The Brooklyn Nets waived veteran forward Luis Scola. Scola averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 36 games this season. Because he was waived by the March 1 deadline, Scola would be eligible to sign with another team and appear on its playoff roster.