Andrew Nembhard produced 27 points and 11 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 117-114 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
Nembhard was one of three Pacers with 20 or more points as Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak. Jarace Walker added 26 and Pascal Siakam 21 as the Pacers improved to 3-19 on the road.
The Thunder fell for just the second time in nine games despite getting 47 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren added 25 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
The Pacers led by 10 with just over two minutes remaining before Gilgeous-Alexander sparked a 9-0 run. Isaiah Joe missed a potential game-tying 3-point attempt with three seconds remaining.
Nuggets 102, Bucks 100
Julian Strawther scored 20 points to lead Denver, down many key players, to a win at Milwaukee.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 points for the Nuggets, who prevailed despite playing without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. They also lost Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain) after the first half.
The Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final minute of the game due to a right calf injury that he believes will keep him out for at least a month. He finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Kyle Kuzma missed half-court heave at the buzzer.
Hawks 110, Suns 103
Jalen Johnson scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta beat visiting Phoenix, which lost Devin Booker to an ankle injury.
Atlanta scored the final eight points of the game to win their second straight and end the Suns’ three-game winning streak. Johnson matched his career high with 18 rebounds for his 30th double-double and added nine assists. Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu scored 25 points and CJ McCollum added 21.
Phoenix was led by Booker with 31, but he did not play in the final quarter after hurting his right ankle late in the third period. Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie each scored 16 for the Suns.
Celtics 130, Nets 126 (2OT)
Payton Pritchard scored 32 points and found rookie Amari Williams for the go-ahead basket with 3:30 left in double overtime as Boston outlasted host Brooklyn.
The Celtics lost a 10-point lead in the final 3:06 of regulation and overcame a five-point deficit in the final 7.9 seconds of overtime when rookie Hugo Gonzalez hit a corner 3 with four-tenths of a second left. Boston never trailed after Pritchard encountered multiple defenders and saw Williams cut to the hoop. Guarded by Ziaire Williams, Williams converted the difficult basket and finished off a 3-point play to snap a 120-120 tie for his only points of a game that saw 22 lead changes and 13 ties.
Pritchard’s big night was aided by Jaylen Brown’s fifth career triple-double (27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds). Hauser added 19 and combined with Pritchard to net 11 of Boston’s 22 made 3-pointers. Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points for the Nets.
Cavaliers 123, Kings 118
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and eight assists and Evan Mobley collected a season-high-tying 29 points plus 13 rebounds and seven assists as Cleveland beat visiting Sacramento.
Jaylon Tyson added 17 points and Jarrett Allen had 15 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which has won nine of its past 13 games.
Domantas Sabonis paced the Kings with 24 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes off the bench. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and DeMar DeRozan had 20 points for Sacramento, which has lost four straight and is 3-18 on the road.
Rockets 111, Pistons 104
Kevin Durant poured in 32 points and visiting Houston cooled off Detroit.
Alperen Sengun had 19 points and five assists, while Reed Sheppard supplied 18 points off the bench. Amen Thompson had 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Jabari Smith Jr. added 11 points with 10 rebounds.
Jalen Duren had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Isaiah Stewart scored 16 points but Detroit’s four-game winning streak was snapped. Ronald Holland II had 13 points and Ausar Thompson, Amen’s brother, chipped in 12 with eight rebounds. All-Star starter Cade Cunningham, who sat out against New Orleans on Wednesday due to an illness and a left hip contusion, was held to 12 points with six turnovers.
Raptors 110, Trail Blazers 98
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 22 points and Immanuel Quickley recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help Toronto notch a victory over host Portland.
Brandon Ingram scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Scottie Barnes scored 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter and collected nine boards as Toronto won its third straight game.
Jrue Holiday recorded 21 points and seven assists and Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who had a four-game winning streak halted. Portland standout Deni Avdija sat out with a lower back strain. He has missed four of Portland’s last six games.
Pelicans 133, Grizzlies 127
Saddiq Bey scored 19 of his season-high 36 points in the fourth quarter to lead visiting New Orleans to a victory over Memphis.
The Pelicans, who had lost 14 of their previous 16 games (and three straight), won on the road for just the fourth time. Trey Murphy III added 32 points and Zion Williamson contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had lost six consecutive games to the Grizzlies.
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced Memphis with 26 points and 12 rebounds and Jock Landale added 24 points and 11 boards. Cam Spencer also contributed a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists. GG Jackson finished with 15 points.
–Field Level Media
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