Spurs surge back to beat Thunder
SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a 23-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-101 on Friday night.
Danny Green added 17 points, and Pau Gasol had 14 points to help San Antonio end Oklahoma City’s threegame winning streak.
Aldridge put back of Green’s missed 3-pointer gave the Spurs a 102-99 lead with 24.2 seconds remaining.
The Thunder missed two 3-pointers on the ensuing possession, but Carmelo Anthony tracked down a second offensive rebound and made a 25-footer with his foot on the 3-point line to cut the lead to 102-101.
Gasol made two free throws, and Russell Westbrook stumbled to the court and threw up an airball on a 3-point attempt.
Anthony had 20 points to lead the Thunder. Westbrook was held to 15 points after scoring 10 in the opening period. He was 5 for 22 from the field.
The Spurs rallied behind their usual formula of hounding defense and 3-point shooting.
Davis Bertans hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter, tying it at 78 with 38 seconds remaining with his final 3 of the run. The 3-pointer also closed a 58-35 run after the Spurs trailed 43-20. Kyle Lowry matched his season high with 22 points and added 10 assists, DeMar DeRozan also scored 22 points and short-handed Toronto beat New York at home. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 13 points for the Knicks.
Miami nearly wasted a terrific defensive effort against John Wall and high-scoring Washington, allowing a 25-point lead to dwindle all the way down to one before holding on for a road victory. Hassan Whiteside had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat, who limited the Wizards to 29 first-half points. Bradley Beal led Washington with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Reserve guard Lance Stephenson scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter, including a key 3-pointer in the final few minutes, and Indiana rallied from 22 down to defeat Detroit at home. Indiana outscored Detroit 36-19 over the final 12 minutes. Victor Oladipo led Indiana with 21 points. Pistons guards Reggie Jackson and Avery Bradley had 16 points apiece.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is out indefinitely with a sore left heel and Achilles tendon. The team plans to have another update on his status in approximately two weeks.
Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Russell has played in 12 games for Brooklyn this season with team-leading averages of 20.9 points and 5.7 assists.