PACERS HOLD ON AGAINST CELTICS
BOSTON» Victor Oladipo scored 27 points, then committed a dead-ball offensive foul with 1.5 seconds left that gave Boston a shot to win the game at the buzzer, but the Pacers held on to beat the depleted Celtics 99-97 on Sunday night.
Myles Turner scored 19 points, including the winning basket with 21 seconds to play, and added 10 rebounds for Indiana, which survived the crazy ending to win for the fifth time in six games.
Boston led by 10 at halftime before point guard Kyrie Irving left the game with a sore left knee, joining absent big man Al Horford, who was home sick, and Jaylen Brown, who is in the concussion protocol. Indiana went ahead by as many as nine, and had a 93-76 lead with 2:13 to play before Boston rallied to tie it 95-all with 37 seconds left.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
Karl-Anthony Towns helped Minnesota stop a season-long three-game losing streak with 31 points and 16 rebounds, and the Timberwolves powered their way past Golden State down the stretch for a 109-103 victory to hand the Warriors their second straight defeat without Stephen Curry. Kevin Durant had 39 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who left Curry at home from this road trip to rest an injured right ankle and lost 125-108 to Portland on Friday. … Ricky Rubio had 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and the Jazz overcame Anthony Davis’ first career triple-double for a 116-99 victory over the Pelicans that extended its winning streak to six. Davis had 25 points, 11 rebounds and a careerhigh 10 blocks in his return from a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for one game … Eric Gordon scored 26 points and Chris Paul had 24 points and 12 assists as the Rockets, playing without James Harden, beat the Mavericks 105-82. The Rockets rested Harden because of a sore left knee. … Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points, Kyle Lowry had 16 and the Raptors kept rolling after a big win two nights earlier, beating the Knicks 132-106 for their season-high eighth straight victory. … Zach LaVine scored 21 points, including four free throws in the final 17 seconds to stop Atlanta’s comeback, and the Bulls beat the Hawks 129-122. … Joel Embiid scored 21 points, Robert Covington added 19, and the 76ers routed the Nets 120-97. … Julius Randle had a career-high 36 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and the Lakers auditioned for LeBron James’ favor in free agency with a 127-113 victory over the Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas had 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds. — The Associated Press