Another big comeback for Thunder
The same Thunder team that began the season losing close games on a regular basis has figured out how to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and win.
Dennis Schroder scored 31 points, and host Oklahoma City overcame a 24point deficit to beat the Grizzlies 126122 on Wednesday night.
Danilo Gallinari and Shai GilgeousAlexander each scored 20 points and Chris Paul had 18 for the Thunder, who rallied from 26 points down Monday to beat Chicago.
According to the Thunder, Oklahoma City is the only NBA team in the past 20 years to overcome deficits of at least 24 points in consecutive games and win both. The Thunder will take the wins, but they’d prefer to avoid the drama.
“It feels good,“Schroder said. “Two of them. You can’t rely on it. We’ve just got to come out better in the first quarter. But it was good. We can go home and enjoy the time but we’ve got to be better for 48” minutes.
Schroder scored 22 points in the second half.
“I think Dennis was — not to gas him up or nothing — but that was inspiring tonight,” Paul said. “On a night where we sort of don’t have the energy, don’t have the mojo — just sitting over there watching how hard he was playing and the energy he was playing with, it forced everybody else to get on board.”
Brandon Clarke scored 27 points, Jonas Valanciunas scored 24 and Ja Morant added 22 for the Grizzlies.
“Tough one for us tonight,” Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Obviously, great job building that big lead. Credit the Thunder. They played a heck of a second half. Their bench was phenomenal.”
The Thunder got off to another shaky start Wednesday. Memphis shot 54% in the first half and led 6859 at the break.
Oklahoma City did not score for three minutes to start the third quarter, and Memphis took an 8059 lead. The Grizzlies’ largest lead was 8965. Celtics 109, Mavericks 103: Kemba Walker scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown had 26 as Boston won in Dallas. Jayson Tatum added 24 points to help Boston prevail on a night when both teams were missing key players and struggled to shoot 40% from the field. The Celtics held the Mavs 15 points below their season average, including a Dallas season-low 18 in the third quarter, with Luka Doncic’s absence felt more than in Dallas’ win Monday over Milwaukee. Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 23 points and 13 rebounds but fouled out in the final minute. Seth Curry added 20 points. In each of the first three quarters, the Mavericks built a lead of at least eight points before Boston rallied to narrow the gap. Boston flipped the script in the fourth, with Brown hitting a 20-footer and Tatum a 3 to build an 83-78 lead.
Nuggets 113, Magic 104: Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap helped fuel a 24-0 run in the third quarter as host Denver rallied for a win over Orlando. Murray finished with 33 points, including 13 in the pivotal third quarter. Millsap scored 14 of his 15 points during the third in his return from a strained quadriceps. Trailing 69-50 with 9:18 left in the third, the Nuggets stormed back as they held the Magic scoreless for more than six minutes. By the time the quarter was over, Denver had an 84-76 lead and was on its way to an eighth straight win over the Magic. Nikola Jokic added 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Nikola Vucevic scored 20 for the Magic.
Heat 108, 76ers 104: Kendrick Nunn scored 26 points to help Miami hand Philadelphia its first home loss of the season. The 76ers had been 14-0 at home, including a 113-86 victory over the Heat last month. Tobias Harris buried a 3-pointer for the Sixers with 25.5 seconds left that made it 106104, and they had sudden life when Nunn missed twice at the free-throw line. Al Horford, though, missed an open 3-point attempt from the wing and the Heat escaped in a thriller. Bam Adebayo scored 23 points and Duncan Robinson had 15 for the Heat. Joel Embiid, who missed Sunday’s rout by the Nets with an upper respiratory illness, had 22 points and 19 rebounds. Jimmy Butler scored 14 points for the Heat and was pretty much a nonfactor until late in his second game back in Philadelphia.
Raptors 112, Pistons 99: Kyle Lowry had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double and visiting Toronto had an 11-0 run in the third quarter on its way to a win over Detroit. The Raptors were without guard Fred VanVleet because of a right knee injury. Then center Marc Gasol left in the first quarter with a left hamstring strain. Toronto still had enough firepower to handle the Pistons. Andre Drummond had 22 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit.
Cavaliers 100, Hornets 98: Collin Sexton scored 23 points, Cedi Osman had 18 and host Cleveland held off a late Charlotte comeback. Cleveland, which had lost 16 of 18, led the entire game but nearly squandered a 24point lead in the third quarter. Terry Rozier scored a career-high 35 points for Charlotte and hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last coming with 21 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 100-98. Sexton dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds with 16 seconds left. Rozier popped open at the top of the key for a wide-open 3 with three seconds to go, but the shot hit off the rim and Sexton grabbed the rebound to finally secure the victory for the Cavs.
Bulls 110, Wizards 109: Wendell Carter Jr. made a layup with 9.1 seconds left in overtime, completing visiting Chicago’s rally from an 18point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Washington. Zach LaVine (24 points) capped a 21-3 Chicago run with three free throws that tied the game 96-96 with 5.5 seconds left in the fourth. Bradley Beal hit a jumper with 0.5 of a second remaining to put Washington ahead 98-96, but LaVine was fouled on the ensuing inbound play and hit two free throws to force OT. An alley-oop basket by Lauri Markkanen (31 points) gave the Bulls their first lead since the first quarter, 106-105 with 1:47 left in overtime. Davis Bertans led the Wizards with 26 points, and Beal finished with 22.
Pelicans 107, Timberwolves 99: Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and visiting New Orleans snapped its 13-game losing streak. Jrue Holiday had 18 points and Lonzo Ball added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench for New Orleans, which was coming off a 108-101 overtime loss at home to Brooklyn a night earlier. Without leading scorer and rebounder Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota lost its seventh straight game, shooting 38% from the field. Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 27 points. Though the Pelicans traveled, Minnesota last played Friday, a loss at home to the Clippers, and used the time off to practice three times. But without Towns, who head coach Ryan Saunders said is day to day with a left knee sprain, Minnesota struggled.