Nets lose Harden, still beat Rockets, move into first place
Kyrie Irving had 31 points and a season-high 12 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets overcame the loss of James Harden to beat the Houston Rockets 120108 on Wednesday night and move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Harden sat out the fourth quarter against his former team with right hamstring tightness, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Nets put together the pivotal run without him, scoring 12 straight midway through the final period to turn a sixpoint deficit into a 107-101 lead, winning a game they trailed by 18 after less than five minutes. MAVERICKS 113, CELTICS 108>> Luka Doncic had 36 points and eight rebounds as Dallas held on to beat Boston.
Jalen Brunson added 21 points, including two late free throws, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 19 points to help the Mavericks win their second straight.
Dallas led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before the Celtics rallied to within single digits in the fourth.
Jayson Tatum had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead Boston. Jaylen Brown added 24.
HEAT 92, PACERS 87 >> Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler helped Miami rally from a 13-point first-half deficit by spurring a decisive eight-point fourthquarter run to give the Heat the win. Robinson finished with 20 points and Butler added 18 as Miami avoided getting swept in the three-game season series with the Pacers. TRAIL BLAZERS 124, PISTONS 101 >> Damian Lillard had 33 points and nine assists as Portland routed Detroit. CJ McCollum added 24 points and Carmelo Anthony and Robert Covington each scored 16 in Portland’s fourth straight win.
THUNDER 113, RAPTORS 103 >> Svi Mykhailiuk scored 10 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Oklahoma City rallied to beat Toronto. Mykhailiuk made 9 of 14 shots and had a career-high nine rebounds. Moses Brown had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Isaiah Roby added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Thunder outrebounded the Raptors 64-35.
TIMBERWOLVES 102, KNICKS 101 >> Anthony Edwards scored 11 of his 24 points over the final eight minutes, leading a fierce rally by Minnesota for the win over former coach Tom Thibodeau and New York. Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 17 rebounds, and Malik Beasley highlighted his 20 points with the go-ahead 3-pointer with 37 seconds left for the Timberwolves, who outscored the Knicks 22-9 over the final 7:50.
JAZZ 111, GRIZZLIES 107 >> Mike Conley Jr. scored 26 points and Bojan Bogdanovicadded 23 points to lead Utah to the win over Memphis without star Donovan Mitchell, who missed the game for per- sonal resasons.
CAVS HOPEFUL DELLAVEDOVA WILL MAKE LONGDELAYED SEASON DEBUT >> Matthew Dellavedova’s long wait to play again may finally be over.
More than a year since his last regular-season NBA game, the Cavaliers’ popular veteran guard and former Saint Mary’s College star could make his season debut tonight after being out with a concussion and appendectomy.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Dellavedova practiced Wednesday, and as long as he gets final medical clearance, the 30-year-old will play against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Dellavedova, who along with Kevin Love is the only player remaining on the roster from Cleveland’s 2016 NBA title team, hasn’t played in a game since suffering a head injury in the club’s exhibition opener in December.