Horford wins it for Celtics at the buzzer

Al Horford captured the attention of Boston sports fans even on Super Bowl Sunday.

Horford made a 15-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer and the host Celtics finished off the Portland Trail Blazers 97-96 Sunday, giving fans plenty of time to go home and watch their football team.

“Wanted to end the game so we could go watch the Super Bowl,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

Horford had 22 points and 10 rebounds, helping Boston win its fourth in a row.

“[Stevens] had called a play for Jaylen [Brown] but they were ready for it so he kept yelling keep the ball, keep the ball,” Horford said. “It’s a shot I work on a lot and it felt good when it left my hands.”

Damian Lillard only made six of 19 shots but scored Portland’s final eight points, including a threepoint play with 7.2 seconds left to give the Trail Blazers a 96-95 lead. C.J. McCollum led Portland with 22 points. “They executed well down the stretch, made some tough shots,” McCollum said. “Credit them for battling back and then down the stretch they seemed to match every basket.”

at Toronto 101, Memphis 86: After Toronto’s reserves opened the fourth with a 12-4 run — turning a two-point edge into a double-digit lead with seven minutes remaining — coach Dwane Casey let them keep playing until the final buzzer. The reserves, led by Delon Wright (15 points), outscored the Grizzlies bench 52-19. Reserve Fred VanVleet added 13 points for the Raptors.

Milwaukee 109, at Brooklyn 94:

Eric Bledsoe scored 28 points and John Henson had season highs with 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks, who extended their winning streak over the Nets to 10 games. Brooklyn cut a 28-point deficit to seven, but Milwaukee scored the final eight points of the game.

Atlanta 99, at New York 96: Kent Bazemore made a three-pointer with 6.7 seconds left, and a costly turnover by the Knicks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. helped the Hawks hang on for the win. Hardaway stepped on the line while trying to inbound the ball after Bazemore’s basket, then later missed a potential tying three-pointer.

Charlotte 115, at Phoenix 110: The Hornets bench ignited a 20-2 run to start the fourth and helped complete the team’s biggest comeback of the season. Charlotte, which trailed by 21 points in the second half, outscored the Suns 48-18 over a 13-minute stretch.

Lakers 108, at Oklahoma City 104