CLEVELAND — Boston’s Avery Bradley drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Celtics rallied to stun NBA Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland Cavaliers 104-103 on their home floor Friday.
The Celtics snatched the victory after trailing by five points in the final 20 seconds.
The Cavaliers, led by superstar LeBron James, had trailed by seven with four minutes to play. But they appeared to have gained control for good when guard J.R. Smith grabbed an offensive rebound off James’s missed three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining and Cleveland up 99-96.
Cavs guard Kyrie Irving’s free throws gave Cleveland a 103-99 lead with 7.5 seconds left, but Smith fouled Evan Turner as the Celtics swingman drove for a layup with four seconds left.
Turner missed the free throw, but it was 103-101 when the ball went out of bounds off the Cavaliers, leaving the Celtics with possession and one final shot to win it.
Bradley connected from the corner over Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert, silencing the sellout crowd and handing the Cavaliers just their fourth home defeat of the season.
James scored 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough on a night the Cavaliers lost forward Kevin Love to a bruised left thigh.
All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and Turner had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists off the bench for the Celtics, who squandered a 92-85 lead with 3:18 left before rallying.
It was a second straight defeat for the Cavaliers, two nights after they fell to the Hornets in Charlotte.
Clippers 107, Magic 93: Chris Paul scored 21 points while Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick each had 20, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-93 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
The Clippers (33-17) led from start to finish to win for the fifth time in the last six games. The Magic (21-28) continued their downward slide, losing 15 of their last 17 games.
Wizards 106, 76ers 94: Wizards All Star guard John Wall registered his fourth career triple-double with 18 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a 106-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Washington guard Bradley Beal scored 22 points in his first start since Dec. 9.
Heat 98, Hornets 95: Chris Bosh’s driving layup with 23.5 seconds left lifted the Miami Heat to a 98-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
The forward’s basket and ensuing free throw put the finishing touch on a Heat performance that was powered by center Hassan Whiteside’s triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, and Dwyane Wade’s 22 points on 11-of-20 shooting.
Whiteside had seven points, four blocks and four rebounds in the fourth quarter to help the Heat outscore the Hornets 31-23.
Hawks 102, Pacers 96: Atlanta’s Al Horford had back-to-back momentum-shifting dunks late in the third quarter and stayed hot in the fourth to fuel the Hawks’ 102-96 victory over Indiana at Philips Arena.
Horford finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He scored seven in the fourth quarter, but it was his pair of dunks late in the third that sparked the Hawks.
Nets 128, Kings 119: Joe Johnson scored a season-high 27 points and handed out a season-high 11 assists and the Brooklyn Nets pulled away in the second half for a 128-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Brook Lopez added 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Nets (13-38) snapped a six-game losing streak and won for the third time in their past 19 home games.
Other results: Grizzlies 91, Knicks 85; Jazz 84, Bucks 81; Nuggets 115, Bulls 110; Spurs 116, Mavericks 90. — Agencies
