Pascal Siakam hit a 14-foot jumper at the buzzer and finished with 24 points and nine rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 103-101 on Saturday night in Indianapolis.
The Bulls’ Tre Jones scored on a driving layup with 7.5 seconds left to tie the game before Siakam made a shot over two defenders to help the Pacers win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points for Indiana, which won for the fourth time in its first 20 games. Teammates Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff and Andrew Nembhard each scored 14 points.
Jones and Josh Giddey led Chicago with 17 points apiece. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu each had 15 points. Giddey added 11 boards and seven assists for the Bulls, who have lost three straight and four of their last five.
Mavericks 114, Clippers 110
Klay Thompson turned back the clock with six 3-pointers en route to a season-high 23 points, Cooper Flagg went for a career-best 35, and Dallas held off host Los Angeles.
Resting Anthony Davis on the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavericks trailed 103-101 after a John Collins 3-pointer for the Clippers with 2:22 to go. But Thompson, playing in his hometown, capped a 17-point final period with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining and the Mavs held on from there.
Thompson’s 20-point night was just his second of the season. He had contributed just 10 points to a 129-119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when the Mavericks tipped off a two-night stay in Southern California on Friday. Flagg’s 35 points were six more than his previous high.
Timberwolves 119, Celtics 115
Anthony Edwards scored 39 points to offset 41 from Jaylen Brown and Minnesota finished strong to top Boston in Minneapolis.
Julius Randle added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Donte DiVincenzo scored 15 points and made 4 of 7 from deep. Neemias Queta recorded a double-double with 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Celtics.
Minnesota outscored Boston 60-46 in the second half to rally for the victory. After a Queta dunk put the Celtics on top 71-59 with 11:45 to go in the third quarter, the Timberwolves outscored their opponent 24-11 over the next seven minutes to grab an 83-82 lead with 4:23 left in the quarter, then hang on in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch.
Hornets 118, Raptors 111 (OT)
Miles Bridges scored 10 of his 35 points in overtime as Charlotte, after a huge fourth-quarter run, knocked off visiting Toronto, ending the Raptors’ nine-game winning streak.
Kon Knueppel poured in 20 points, Collin Sexton had 18 points and LaMelo Ball posted 14 points for the Hornets, who won their second game in a row following a seven-game losing streak. It was a long climb back for Charlotte, which trailed by 17 points in the first quarter and as many as 12 in the fourth.
Scottie Barnes poured in 30 points for Toronto, while teammates Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley both scored 22. The Hornets were 10-for-39 on 3-point attempts, but benefitted from the Raptors’ 16 turnovers.
Bucks 116, Nets 99
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points to lead Milwaukee to a convincing victory over visiting Brooklyn, ending its seven-game losing streak.
AJ Green added 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc and Bobby Portis added 13 off the bench. Kevin Porter Jr., who made his return from surgery after a right knee meniscus injury took him out of the Bucks’ opening-night game on Oct 22, also added 13 points as all five Milwaukee starters scored in double digits.
The Nets’ skid moved to four with the loss. Reserve Danny Wolf led Brooklyn with a career-high 22 while Jalen Wilson added 13 as the Nets’ bench outscored their starters 63-36. This was the first time the Bucks held an opponent under 100 points this season.
Pistons 138, Heat 135
Cade Cunningham had 29 points and eight assists as Detroit held off host Miami.
Tobias Harris supplied a season-high 26 points for the Pistons, who nearly squandered a 22-point lead in the fourth but snapped a two-game skid. Duncan Robinson, playing against his former team for the first time, tossed in 18 points while Paul Reed added 13 with 10 rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins led the Heat, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped, with 31 points. Normal Powell had 28 points and Tyler Herro contributed 24. Bam Adebayo added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Nuggets 130, Suns 112
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. tied a season high with 23 points while making a season-high seven 3-pointers, and Denver beat host Phoenix for the Nuggets’ seventh straight road victory.
Jamal Murray had 24 points and five threes for Denver, which was 22 of 38 from distance (57.9%). Jokic fell just short of his 11th triple-double this season as the Nuggets rebounded from a home loss to San Antonio on Friday that cost them a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Dillon Brooks had 27 points, Devin Booker had 24 and Royce O’Neale had 15 for the Suns, who had won nine of 12 and had advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals Friday despite a loss at Oklahoma City.
Warriors 104, Pelicans 96
Jimmy Butler III and Gary Payton II recorded double-doubles in the absence of All-Star Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski ignited a late lead-taking run and Golden State outlasted New Orleans in San Francisco.
Having lost two of three to start a five-game homestand and facing the prospect of going without the injured Curry, the Warriors used a late 12-point flurry to overcome 12-for-47 shooting (25.5%) on 3-pointers.
Zion Williamson had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds for the Pelicans, who have lost 11 of their last 12. Yves Missi grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to complement nine points, while Saddiq Bey totaled 21 points and Jeremiah Fears 16.
