Sports

Heat snap Celtics 16-game winning streak

November 23, 2017
Chicago Bulls guard Jerian Grant (2) goes to the basket as Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio (3) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday in Salt Lake City. — AP
Chicago Bulls guard Jerian Grant (2) goes to the basket as Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio (3) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday in Salt Lake City. — AP

NEW YORK — Goran Dragic scored 27 points as the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 104-98, snapping the Celtics' 16-game winning streak on Wednesday.

The Heat nearly squandered a 14-point lead midway through the fourth as the Celtics ran off 13 straight points and got within 91-90 on Marcus Smart's two free throws with 3:14 remaining.

Dion Waiters' responded with consecutive three-pointers for a seven-point advantage. Dragic clinched the victory with three free throws in the final 28 seconds.

The loss was Boston's first since a 108-100 defeat at Milwaukee on Oct. 18. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points for the Celtics.

Thunder 108, Warriors 91

Russell Westbrook had 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as Oklahoma City led by as many as 26 en route to victory over Golden State.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Paul George added 20 for the Thunder, who snapped a seven-game slide to the Warriors dating back to Game Four of the 2016 Western Conference finals. Steven Adams added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City.

Steph Curry led Golden State with 24 points, while Kevin Durant added 21. The Warriors' starters sat during the fourth quarter after Oklahoma City built a 23-point lead.

Bucks 113, Suns 107 (OT)

Kris Middleton scored 40 points and Milwaukee overcame a 30-foot Devin Booker buzzer-beater to force overtime and outlast Phoenix.

Eric Bledsoe, traded to Milwaukee by the Suns on Nov. 7 after tweeting that he didn't want to be in Phoenix, added 30 points and seven assists and seven turnovers in his return.

Milwaukee overcame the absence of star Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) to beat the Suns for the fifth straight time and the third straight in Phoenix after losing here 24 straight times. Devin Booker scored 23 points and tied the game at 105 with his shot near the Bucks bench as time expired.

Mavericks 95, Grizzlies 94

Harrison Barnes' buzzer-beating three-pointer gave Dallas a victory over Memphis. Barnes recorded 22 points and nine rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr scored 17 points, and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 13 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks. Tyreke Evans paced Memphis with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists (six turnovers) off the bench.

Knicks 108, Raptors 100

Tim Hardaway Jr had a career-high 38 points as New York had a franchise-best 28-0 scoring run in the third quarter to defeat Toronto.

Courtney Lee had 11 of his 15 points in the third quarter and Enes Kanter had seven of his 11 during the Knicks' best quarter of the season in which they outscored the Raptors 41-10. Hardaway scored 12 points during the run.

Kyle Lowry had 25 points and 10 points and DeMar Derozan added 18 points to lead Toronto, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Cavaliers 119, Nets 109

LeBron James scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, including an 18-point run on his own, and Cleveland defeated Brooklyn.

James, who left the game early in the third quarter to get stitches for a facial laceration, finished with 33 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Cavaliers led 100-99 with 4:25 left when James stepped to the line for free throws that sparked his 18 consecutive points.

Rockets 125, Nuggets 95

James Harden and Chris Paul paced a dazzling first-half blitz before Trevor Ariza stifled a Denver rally in the third quarter as Houston rolled to victory.

Harden and Paul combined for 44 points and 21 assists, tallying 34 points on 10-for-15 shooting prior to intermission as the Rockets raced to a 35-point halftime lead.

When Will Barton (20 points) and Nikola Jokic (17 points) helped the Nuggets cut the deficit to 81-60 midway through the third, Ariza responded with 11 consecutive points to re-establish control.

Pelicans 107, Spurs 90

Anthony Davis scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and DeMarcus Cousins added 24 points and 15 boards to power New Orleans past San Antonio. Davis' 29 points moved him past Chris Paul into second place on the franchise's all-time scoring list.

Davis has 7,938 points, surpassing Paul's 7,936 in his New Orleans tenure. David West (8,690) is first on New Orleans' all-time scoring list. The Spurs got 19 points from Rudy Gay, 17 from Pau Gasol and 16 from LaMarcus Aldridge. San Antonio led 17-2.

Hornets 129, Wizards 124 (OT)

Dwight Howard had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb scored 24 apiece as Charlotte rallied for an improbable overtime victory over Washington.

The Hornets rallied from a nine-point deficit in the last four minutes of regulation, then dominated the overtime period. They took the lead for good at 119-116 on Walker's three-pointer with 3:21 left and eventually pushed the lead to seven. Charlotte has won three straight.

Timberwolves 124, Magic 118

Jimmy Butler tied a season high with 26 points, and Taj Gibson added a season-high 24 as Minnesota handed Orlando its sixth straight loss.

The Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season. Jeff Teague added 22 points and 11 assists Minnesota.

Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 26 points. Terrence Ross scored a season-high 22 points, Elfrid Payton had 10 points and 13 assists, and Nikola Vucevic added 11 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando.

76ers 101, Trail Blazers 81

Joel Embiid had 28 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia defeated Portland. Ben Simmons added 16 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals for the 76ers, who won for the fourth time in five games to improve to 10-7. T.J. McConnell contributed 13 points off the bench for Philadelphia.

Damian Lillard poured in 30 points for the Trail Blazers, but Portland shot only 33.7 percent from the floor.

Jazz 110, Bulls 80

Derrick Favors scored 23 points and Rodney Hood added 19 off the bench to lead Utah past Chicago. Alec Burks also chipped in 15 points for the Jazz, who snapped a three-game losing streak to Chicago extending to the 2015-16 season.

Clippers 116, Hawks 103

Wesley Johnson scored a season-high 24 points as Los Angeles ended its nine-game losing streak. Blake Griffin scored 26 and Atlanta native Lou Williams added 20 points and eight assists for the Clippers.

Johnson entered the game averaging only 6.8 points but shot 8-for-10 from the field and matched his career-best six three-pointers. Griffin was 9-for-19 from the field and add 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Kings 113, Lakers 102

Willie Cauley-Stein scored a season-high 26 points off the bench, and starter Zach Randolph added 22 as Sacramento routed Los Angeles.

The two frontcourt men combined to make 20-of-30 shots, and the Kings blazed away for 55.3 percent shooting en route to winning.

Buddy Hield returned from a two-game absence caused by a sprained right ankle to score 10 points for Sacramento. — Reuters


November 23, 2017
HIGHLIGHTS
Sports
4 days ago

Neom FC clinches First Division spot with a thrilling victory over Al Zulfi

Sports
4 days ago

Hiba Al Owaidi becomes first female main referee in Saudi Women's League

Sports
5 days ago

Salem Al Dawsari's goal secures Saudi victory over Tajikistan in World Cup qualifiers