Jrue Holiday’s step-back, baseline jumper with two seconds remaining powered the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-111 win over the host Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Holiday’s shot over the outstretched hand of Dillon Brooks capped a wild final 39.1 seconds in which the two teams exchanged the lead five times.
The raucous stretch included a goaltending call against Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Memphis’ Ja Morant scoring the last of his game-high 35 points on a layup in traffic, just seconds before Holiday’s game-winner.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Khris Middleton contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee. Brooks scored 23 points for Memphis.
Washington Wizards 119 – Los Angeles Clippers 117
Bradley Beal scored 33 points and grabbed seven rebounds as host Washington handed Los Angeles its third straight loss.
Russell Westbrook added 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Wizards. Moritz Wagner contributed 12 points to help Washington snap a two-game skid.
Kawhi Leonard led a short-handed Clippers team with 22 points. Patrick Beverley added 17 and Lou Williams 16 in the loss.
Miami Heat 103 – New Orleans Pelicans 93
Jimmy Butler returned from a two-game absence to score 29 points as the visiting Heat defeated the Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson (toe).
Butler, who had been sidelined by right knee inflammation, scored 10 points during the final six minutes as the Heat held off a Pelicans comeback.
Brandon Ingram scored 17 points and Steven Adams added 15 to lead the Pelicans.
Denver Nuggets 113 – Indiana Pacers 103
Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and Denver won its fourth straight road game, beating Indiana in Indianapolis.
Jamal Murray scored 23 points and Will Barton had 16 for Denver, which improved to 4-0 on its road trip. The Pacers enter the All-Star break with five losses in their past six games.
Myles Turner had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Domantas Sabonis had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Doug McDermott finished with 20 points for the Pacers.
Phoenix Suns 120 – Golden State Warriors 98
Host Phoenix finished the NBA’s first half in second place in the Western Conference after shellacking Stephen Curry-less Golden State.
The Suns won for the 16th time in their last 19 games. Reserve Cameron Payne led seven Phoenix players in double figures with 17 points to go with a game-high 10 assists. Devin Booker scored 16 points and Deandre Ayton had 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Jordan Poole, recalled from the G League earlier in the week, poured in a career-high 26 points in 26 minutes off the bench to lead the Warriors. Andrew Wiggins had 16 points, and James Wiseman contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Boston Celtics 132 – Toronto Raptors 125
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jaylen Brown scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half and host Boston downed Toronto to extend its winning streak to four games. Grant Williams added a season-high 17 points off the bench for the Celtics.
Chris Boucher scored a career-high 30 points, Norman Powell 25 and Terence Davis 22 as the Raptors lost for the second straight night. Kyle Lowry had 14 points and a career-high 19 assists.
Toronto played once again without three starters — Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby — and reserves Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw due to health and safety protocols. Head coach Nick Nurse and members of his staff also were unavailable.
New York Knicks 114 – Detroit Pistons 104
Julius Randle had 27 points and 16 rebounds as host New York defeated Detroit.
New York played without point guard Derrick Rose for the second consecutive game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. He returned multiple negative tests for COVID-19 before the game, but the league ruled him ineligible to play against his former team.
All five Knicks starters scored in double figures. RJ Barrett scored 21 points and had five assists and four rebounds. The Pistons spread the points out even more, finishing with eight players in double figures. Wayne Ellington led with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
Portland Trail Blazers 123 – Sacramento Kings 119
Damian Lillard matched season bests of 44 points and eight 3-pointers and added seven assists to lead Portland to a victory over visiting Sacramento.
Lillard scored 12 points over the final three minutes as the Trail Blazers improved to 3-0 against the Kings this season. Enes Kanter contributed 22 points and 21 rebounds and Carmelo Anthony scored 16 points for Portland, which earned a third consecutive win.
De’Aaron Fox scored 18 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and added 12 assists for Sacramento. Buddy Hield scored 21 points as the Kings lost for the 11th time in the past 13 games.
Oklahoma City Thunder 107 – San Antonio Spurs 102
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, including a big 3-pointer in the final minutes, as Oklahoma City came from behind to win at San Antonio.
Mike Muscala added 18 points off the bench, with Luguentz Dort scoring 15 and Darius Bazley recording 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Thunder were playing the second game of a road back-to-back after losing in Dallas on Wednesday.
DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 20 points. Trey Lyles added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray chipped in with 14 points.
–Field Level Media
