Leonard comes ‘alive’ late to lead Clippers to disputed win
Warriors overcome Green ejection
PHILADELPHIA, March 28, (AP): Kawhi Leonard completed two 3-point plays late in the game then made a block at the rim on the final possession to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a controversial 108107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was stuffed at the rim by Leonard on a play that Sixers head coach Nick Nurse felt should have resulted in a foul on Paul George.
The officiating crew after the game said a foul should have been called on the last play that would have sent Oubre to the line with a chance to win the game.
Nurse stormed onto the court to dispute the non-call and had to be restrained by his assistants. Oubre also jumped into the mix, pointing at each official before being pulled away after the final horn.
The game officials agreed.
“On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically,” referee Kevin Scott said to a pool reporter. “However, in post-game video review we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled.”
Leonard bounced back from a 1-for8 shooting first half to score 17 points and grab 10 rebounds.
“We had to stay focused if we were going to stay in the game,” he said.
George had 22 points to lead Los Angeles while James Harden, in his return to Wells Fargo Center, had 16 points and 14 assists for the Clippers, who had lost six of nine.
Warriors 101, Magic 93
In Orlando, Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Stephen Curry made the final two baskets of the game on an off shooting night and Golden State Warriors overcame Draymond Green’s early ejection to beat the Orlando Magi.c
Green, who missed 16 games after being suspended by the NBA in December, was ejected 3:36 in for disputing a foul call on Wiggins. It was Green’s fourth ejection of the season.
Curry made a driving hook shot with 1:09 to go to make it 98-93 and added a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left for the final points. He had 17 points - going 6 of 18 from the field - and 10 assists.
Cole Anthony led Orlando with 26 points and eight rebounds. Paolo Banchero had 15 points and eight rebounds. Anthony’s turnaround jumper brought the Magic within a point with 2:41 left.
The Warriors, holding the 10th spot in the Western Conference, won for the 20th time in 35 road games. They are 18-19 at home.
Suns 104, Nuggets 97
In Denver, Kevin Durant had 30 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks and the Phoenix Suns won in Denver for the second time this month, beating the defending champion Nuggets.
The Suns, with the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, moved a half-game ahead of Sacramento for the seventh spot in the Western Conference as they try to move up to sixth to avoid a play-in game. Dallas is No. 6, a half-game ahead of Phoenix.
The Western Conference-leading Nuggets struggled without starting point guard Jamal Murray, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Nikola Jokic had 22 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists as he fought through lower back pain and left hip soreness.
The Nuggets, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and Minnesota, lost for just the third time in 18 games since the All-Star break, and two of those losses have come at home to the Suns, who prevailed 117-107 in overtime at Ball Arena on March 5.
Denver won six straight games at home after that, but Wednesday night were again victimized by terrific longrange shooting from the Suns, who made 16 of 33 shots from behind the arc. Denver was 10 of 40 on 3s.
Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon each added 18 points for Denver, but the Nuggets’ bench shot just 5 of 19.
Knicks 145, Raptors 101
In Toronto, Miles McBride scored 29 points, Jalen Brunson had 26 and the Knicks never trailed in a win over the slumping Toronto Raptors, New York’s biggest margin of victory this season.
Precious Achiuwa had 19 points and 13 rebounds against his former team as the Knicks won for the seventh time in eight games, set a season-high for points and swept the four-game season series with Toronto.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson played for the first time since suffering a left ankle injury in December that sidelined him for 50 games. The 7-footer had not played since he was injured in a Dec. 8 loss at Boston, later undergoing surgery.
Robinson came off the bench and scored eight points.
Gradey Dick scored a career-high 23 points for Toronto and Gary Trent Jr. had 18 but the short-handed Raptors lost their 12th in a row and fell to 1-13 against Atlantic Division opponents.
Hornets 118, Cavaliers 111
In Charlotte, rookie Brandon Miller made seven 3-pointers and finished with 31 points, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to avenge a 23-point loss earlier in the week.
Miles Bridges and Tre Mann added 17 points and Grant Williams had 16 for the Hornets, who shot 58% from the field to snap a five-game losing streak. Vasa Micic had 11 points and 12 assists, and Nick Richards added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Jarrett Allen scored 24 points and Sam Merrill added 17 for the Cavs, who have lost four of their last five games. Allen became the first Cleveland player in four games to top 20 points.
The Cavaliers beat the Hornets 11592 on Monday night in Cleveland after Marcus Morris Sr. was ejected after throwing a high elbow that flattened Richards.
The Hornets, who were beginning an eight-game homestand after playing 13 of 17 on the road, played inspired from the start.
During one stretch in the fourth quarter, Charlotte had four chances to score after two offensive rebounds by Williams kept the possession alive, eventually resulting in Miller finding an open lane down the middle and slamming home a one-handed dunk.
Darius Garland’s pull-up 3 from the top of the key gave the Cavaliers a 107-105 lead with 6:47 left in the game and it appeared the Cavs might be on the verge of pulling away.
Timberwolves 106, Pistons 91
In Minneapolis, Naz Reid had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 20 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome a sluggish start to beat the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons.
Kyle Anderson scored 14 points off the bench to help offset a quiet nine points by All-Star Anthony Edwards for the Wolves (50-22), who entered the night in third place in the Western Conference with one more loss than Denver and Oklahoma City. Both the Nuggets and Thunder played later Wednesday.
The Wolves hit the 50-win mark for just the fifth time in their 35 seasons, matching the franchise’s third-highest total with 10 games to go. Minnesota’s all-time best record was 58-24 in 2003-04.
Cade Cunningham scored 32 points for the Pistons (12-61), who lost their eighth straight. With nine games to go, they’ve got the fourth-most losses in the franchise’s 76-year history. The ignominious record (16-66) was set in 1979-80.
The Wolves improved to 40-4 when allowing less than 110 points and 7-3 without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Edwards was largely disengaged, whether it was the defense by rookie Tosan Evbuomwan or simply a lifeless opponent on the other side at the end of a homestand after high-energy games against Denver, Cleveland and Golden State. Still, after being swept last season by a 65-loss Pistons team, this recovery from a rough first half was an encouraging sign for a Minnesota team with much bigger goals.
Lakers 136, Grizzlies 124
In Memphis, LeBron James had a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, Rui Hachimura scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers built a big lead in the third quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies.
Coming off a 128-124 double-overtime victory in Milwaukee without James on Tuesday night, the Lakers won their fifth straight to pull within 2 1/2 games of idle Dallas for the sixth spot in the Western Conference, a spot that would avoid a play-in game.
Anthony Davis sat out against Memphis after having 34 points and 23 rebounds in a career-high 52 minutes against Milwaukee. He hyperextended his left knee late against the Bucks.
D’Angelo Russell added 23 points for Los Angeles, and Taurean Prince had 15.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 26 points and 16 assists. Jake LaRavia scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and Jaren Jackson added 17. The Grizzlies have lost six of seven.
Rockets 132, Thunder 126 OT
In Oklahoma City, Jalen Green scored 37 points and the Houston Rockets won their 10th straight game, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime.
Amen Thompson had 25 points and 15 rebounds and Dillon Brooks added 20 points for the Rockets. Houston entered the night a game behind the Golden State Warriors for the final play-In tournament spot in the Western Conference.