Kawhi leads Raptors over Spurs
Borrego’s lineup switch pays off as Hornets topple Wizards
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard had a goahead dunk with 15 seconds left and scored 25 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat his former San Antonio Spurs teammates 120-117 on Friday night, spoiling DeMar DeRozan’s return.
Leonard stole the ball from DeRozan at midcourt and raced in alone for a onehanded slam.
Traded to San Antonio in the offseason deal that sent Leonard to Toronto, DeRozan received a warm welcome in the homecoming, but was denied a second victory over his former team. He finished with 23 points.
Lowry and DeRozan embraced near center court following the final whistle as the sellout crowd of 20,058 cheered in approval.
Former New Mexico State standout Pascal Siakam added 22 points to help Toronto win its seventh straight game.
HORNETS 123, WIZARDS 110: In Charlotte, N.C., Kemba Walker had 27 points and 11 assists in his first outing since the All-Star game, Nic Batum added 20 points in his first game this season at shooting guard and Charlotte defeated Washington.
The Hornets overcame a season-high 46 points from Washington’s Bradley Beal to improve to 20-9 at home.
Hornets coach James Borrego, an Albuquerque Academy alumnus, moved Batum to shooting guard, opting to replace Jeremy Lamb in the starting lineup with rookie small forward Miles Bridges. Lamb had started all 54 games he was healthy for this season before the All-Star break. It’s the first time Borrego has deviated from the starting lineup for a reason other than an injury.
The move paid dividends as Batum was
7 of 13 from the field with five 3-pointers and eight rebounds.
TIMBERWOLVES 115, KNICKS 104: In New York, Derrick Rose scored 20 points, Taj Gibson added a season-high 19 and Minnesota overcame the first missed game of Karl-Anthony Towns’ career to beat New York.
Towns’ streak of 303 consecutive starts was snapped when he was placed in the concussion protocol after a car accident. Towns was able to fly to New York after the accident Thursday in Minnesota, but was ruled out after further medical examination Friday. THUNDER 148, JAZZ 147 (2 OT): In Oklahoma City, Paul George scored 45 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1.6 seconds left in the second overtime to lift Oklahoma City to a win over Utah.
CLIPPERS 112, GRIZZLIES 106: In Memphis, Tenn., Montrezl Harrell matched his career high with 30 points, Danilo Gallinari added 23, including 10 straight points in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles beat Memphis. NUGGETS 114, MAVERICKS 104: In Dallas, Nikola Jokic had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead a deep offensive effort, and Denver broke out in the second half to beat Dallas. PISTONS 125, HAWKS 122: In Atlanta, Thon Maker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds remaining and Detroit overcame Blake Griffin’s ejection to beat Atlanta. PACERS 126, PELICANS 111: In Indianapolis, Wesley Matthews scored 15 of his 24 points during a third-quarter rally, Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Indiana overcame a 20-point deficit to beat New Orleans.
BULLS 110, MAGIC 109: In Orlando, Fla., Lauri Markannen made two of three free throws with 1.5 seconds left to give Chicago a victory over Orlando in the first game after the All-Star break for both teams.