Nowitzki surpasses Wilt; Pelicans top Mavs in OT
Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain for sixth place on the NBA’S career scoring list, but Elfrid Payton had his fifth straight triple-double to help New Orleans beat Dallas 129-125 in overtime Monday.
Payton finished with 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Dallas rookie Luka Doncic had a triple-double of his own with 29 points, 13 boards and 10 assists.
Nowitzki moved past Chamberlain (31,419 points) on one of his signature long-range jumpers with 8:35 remaining in the first quarter. The 40-year-old German took a feed from Doncic and backed down Kenrich Williams before turning and launching from the top of the key.
Entering the game needing four points to pass Chamberlain, Nowitzki started for the ninth time this season. He made his first two shots to end the suspense with a sellout crowd on its feet.
“I took my time and faced him up like I’ve done a million times and tried to shoot over him,” Nowitzki said. “It was good to get it over with in the first two shots.”
Julius Randle scored 11 of his 30 points in the final 3:29 of regulation, helping the Pelicans rally to force overtime.
At Boston, Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Denver rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Celtics.
Will Barton added 20 points for the Nuggets, who clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2012-13. They have won four straight and are tied with Golden State atop the Western Conference.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points. Al Horford finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
At San Antonio, Demar Derozan had 26 points and nine rebounds, Lamarcus Aldridge added 23 points and 13 rebounds, and the Spurs won their ninth straight.
San Antonio won its 11th straight at home and moved into fifth in the Western Conference.
At Oklahoma City, Goran Dragic had 26 points and 11 assists, Dwyane Wade added 25 points, and Miami took advantage of Russell Westbrook’s absence to beat Oklahoma City.
Westbrook was suspended one game for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season Saturday.
At Portland, Ore., Damian Lillard had 30 points and 15 assists, and the Blazers beat Indiana despite being without starting guard CJ Mccollum. He has a strained left knee and will be reexamined in a week.
At Washington, Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 19, and Utah won its fourth straight.
At Toronto, Jeremy Lin scored 20 points, Fred Vanvleet had 13 points and 12 assists, and the Raptors beat New York.
Toronto guard Kyle Lowry left in the third quarter after suffering an injured right ankle. He had returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games because of a sore left ankle.
At Cleveland, Collin Sexton scored 27 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play, and the Cavaliers defeated Detroit, which was without a resting Blake Griffin.
At Phoenix, Robin Lopez scored 24 points to help Chicago snap a five-game losing streak.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dwayne Harris created a spark Christmas Eve during a game that possibly was the Raiders’ last in Oakland and perhaps the final home game of Harris’ team tenure. Turns out, it was neither.
Three days after the Coliseum Authority approved a lease permitting the Raiders to stay in Oakland at least one more season, Harris signed a one-year, $2 million contract. The wide receiver’s re-signing Monday provides a boost to special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia’s coverage and return units in 2019.
On Dec. 24, in a “Monday Night Football” home finale, Harris scooped a ball that the Denver Broncos punt team seemed to down at the 1-yard line. According to a fairly obscure NFL rule, a player on the punt return unit can touch the football without risk of fumble after the punt team touches it.
Harris, who turns 32 in September, waited years for this chance.
He sprinted to the 1-yard line, picked up the football, turned upfield past unsuspecting Broncos