Chicago holds off Dallas in wild finish
Kris Dunn, Justin Holiday and the Bulls kept making free throws in the final minute. Somehow, the Mavericks kept getting closer.
Only after Yogi Ferrell’s desperation three-point try at the buzzer fell short could the Bulls finally celebrate a 47point fourth quarter Friday night and a frantic 127-124 victory in Dallas after leading by 10 with 68 seconds to go.
Dunn scored a career-high 32 points and Holiday added 23 for the Bulls, who made all 13 free-throw tries in the final 1:08 but still gave Dallas a chance because the Mavericks had three-point possessions four times while pressing full court and fouling after every bucket.
A turnover also helped as the teams combined for 35 points in the final 68 seconds
“When you have a 10-point lead with about a minute to go, you’ve got to find a way to get a couple of stops,” said Chicago head coach Fred Hoiberg, whose team started the fourth with a 10-0 run. “But it’s a really good win coming down here against a team that’s been really hot, rolling.”
Wesley Matthews scored 24 points and Harrison Barnes had 23 for Dallas, which was outscored 47-36 in the fourth.
Celtics 91, Timberwolves 84: Marcus Smart scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, Kyrie Irving had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and host Boston took control in the fourth quarter. Terry Rozier had 14 points and nine rebounds and Aron Baynes had 11
points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which has won five straight and six of seven. Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and a career-high 23 rebounds to lead Minnesota.
Raptors 129, Bucks 110: Jonas Valanciunas scored all of his 20 points in the decisive third quarter as Toronto beat host Milwaukee for the second time this week. The Raptors outscored Milwaukee 43-19 in the third quarter to win their fourth consecutive game, including a 131-127 overtime victory over the Bucks on Monday. Valanciunas played the entire third quarter, going 8-for-9 and grabbing nine of his 13 rebounds, as the Raptors extended a two-point halftime lead.
Heat 107, Knicks 103: Wayne Ellington survived the The final scored Heat a minutes set back-and-forth 24 a points franchise to win as host in record flurry overtime. Miami by in taking 42 three-point shots, and Ellington set a team record by attempting 16. Doug McDermott’s three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime, and New York led twice in the
extra session.
Spurs 103, Suns 89: Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili each scored 21 points, and San Antonio got its ninth straight home win over Phoenix. Ginobili joined Vince Carter as the only 40-year-old players to score 20 points off the bench. He shot 7for-10 from the field in setting a season high for points. The Spurs were without starters LaMarcus Aldridge, who sat out for rest, and injured Danny Green.
Hornets 108, Lakers 94: Kemba Walker had 19 points and seven assists, and Charlotte wrapped up a solid road trip with its first back-toback wins since Thanksgiving, taking three of four in California and. The Hornets lost at home last month to the Lakers, who have lost nine straight.
76ers 114, Pistons 78: With two minutes left in the first half, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had combined for 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting to spark host Philadelphia to a mammoth lead. Embiid had 23 points and nine rebounds, Simmons
19 points and nine assists, and the Sixers got their fourth straight win.
Nuggets 99, Jazz 91: Trey Lyles scored a career-high 26 points and Jamal Murray also had 26 points for host Denver. The Jazz have lost 12 of 15 since starting the season 13-11.
Wizards 102, Grizzlies 100: Bradley Beal scored 34 points and John Wall added 25 points and nine assists as visiting Washington survived a late Memphis rally to win its fourth straight. Markieff Morris had 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 110, Hawks 89: CJ McCollum had 20 points for host Portland. Damian Lillard added 14 before sitting for the fourth quarter.
Erving hospitalized: Hall of Famer Julius Erving fell ill at the 76ers’ game and was taken to a hospital. There was no immediate update on his condition. Erving, 67, attended the game and rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell before tip-off to mark 35 years since he threw down his famous cradle dunk against the Lakers.