Clippers edge Cavs
Danilo Gallinari scored 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers continued their torrid March, edging the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-108 on Friday night in Cleveland.
Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 16 points while Lou Williams had 15 for the Clippers, who are 9-1 this month and closing in on a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles, which began the night eighth in the conference, hung on in the final seconds after leading by six points with just under two minutes to play. Patrick Beverley split a pair of free throws with 6 seconds to play, giving the Clippers a two-point lead.
Jordan Clarkson took the inbounds pass and dribbled as the clock ticked down before his 3-point attempt from the top of the key hit off the back rim as time ran out.
Kevin Love scored 22 points for Cleveland, which trailed 94-83 early in the third quarter. Clarkson and rookie Collin Sexton each had 20.
Cleveland trailed 108-102 with just under two minutes to play, but baskets by Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. cut the lead to two with 37 seconds left. Beverley missed a 3-pointer, but the Clippers grabbed the rebound and Landry Shamet made one of two free throws with 13 seconds to play.
Love scored in the lane with 10 seconds to go cut the lead to one before Beverley’s free throw made it a twopoint game.
Los Angeles didn’t lead until Beverley hit a 3-pointer less than a minute into the third. Beverley’s tip-in midway through the period broke a 73-all tie.
Cleveland was coming off home wins against Detroit and Milwaukee. The Pistons were playing without Blake Griffin, while Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out for the Bucks.
Love returned after leaving Wednesday’s game. He banged heads with Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe late in the second quarter and played just three minutes in the third before going to the locker room for evaluation.
Sexton had scored more than 23 points in seven straight games, surpassing a mark last accomplished by Tim Duncan in 1998.
Cleveland made
15 of 24 shots in the first quarter and led 40-25 at the end of the period.
ROCKETS 111, SPURS 105: James Harden matched his career high with 61 points, including 27 in the first quarter, to lead Houston to a victory over San Antonio. Harden hit three straight 3-pointers to give the Rockets a 103100 lead and scored all of Houston’s points in a 13-2 run late in the fourth quarter. Harden topped the 50-point mark for the eighth time this season, compared with 10 such performances from the rest of the league combined. He matched his career-best total set earlier this season against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The NBA’S leading scorer surpassed the 30-point mark in the second quarter and the 40-point mark with 9 minutes remaining in the third.
THUNDER 116, RAPTORS 109: Paul George scored 28 points, Russell Westbrook had 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, and Oklahoma City beat Toronto. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 26 points and Jerami Grant had 19 as the Thunder snapped a four-game losing streak and avenged Wednesday’s 123-114 home defeat to Toronto. The Thunder made 20 of 43 shots from 3-point range. Oklahoma City made a season-high 22 3-pointers against the Lakers on Jan. 17. Kawhi Leonard scored 37 points and Pascal Siakam had 25 for the Raptors, who played without All-star point guard Kyle Lowry.
SUNS SIGN FREDETTE: The Phoenix Suns signed Jimmer Fredette for the rest of the season with a team option for 2019-20. Fredette averaged 6.0 points over five seasons with four teams after being drafted in the first round out of BYU in 2011. He spent the last three seasons playing for Shanghai of the Chinese Basketball Association, leading the league in scoring last season with 36.9 points per game.