BOSTON (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Daniel Gafford gave the Mavericks 15 rebounds in what could be his last start at center for a while and Dallas beat the Boston Celtics 127-120 on Thursday night in their NBA Finals rematch.
With recently acquired big man Anthony Davis out with an abdominal strain and cheering on his new teammates from the bench, the Mavericks led by 27 points in the second half. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points off the bench.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla put in his bench, and they unexpectedly pulled within single digits in the final minute.
Jaylen Brown, who won the NBA Finals MVP in June while leading Boston to a five-game victory over Dallas, scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 17. Payton Pritchard scored 21 to lead the second-string rally.
TIMBERWOLVES 127, ROCKETS 114
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Minnesota rallied to beat Houston.
One night after scoring 49 points in a win over Chicago, Edwards dominated the game early and late. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth, which began with Houston leading by six.
Rudy Gobert had back-to-back dunks to start the quarter before Edwards took over with three 3-pointers as Minnesota outscored Houston 35-16 over the final 12 minutes.
Jaylen Clark scored a career-high 17 points for the Timberwolves while Naz Reid had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Jalen Green led Houston with 28 points. Alperen Sengun had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who lost their fifth straight.
NUGGETS 112, MAGIC 90
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 24th triple-double of the season, Michael Porter Jr. added 30 points and Denver won their fifth in a row by beating Orlando.
Christian Braun finished with 16 points for a Nuggets team that saw the trade deadline come and go without making a move. The Nuggets had the game so well in hand that Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Porter turned in another electric offensive performance by hitting 11 of 16 shots, including five 3-pointers. It’s his third straight game with 30 or more points.
Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 19 points, and Paolo Banchero added 18. Orlando was outscored 33-17 in the third quarter.
LAKERS 120, WARRIORS 112
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, and Los Angeles blew most of a 26-point lead before hanging on to beat Golden State.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Gabe Vincent hit five 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have won four straight and 10 of 12. Los Angeles also won its second straight with Luka Doncic watching from the bench.
Stephen Curry scored 37 points for the Warriors, but James came out on top in their latest duel.
James scored 18 points in the second quarter while the Lakers surged ahead, but Golden State began a 32-12 rally right before halftime. Curry scored 22 points in the second half.
Curry went 13 of 35 from the field and hit six 3-pointers. His 20 3-point attempts matched the fifth-most in his career.
He trimmed LA’s lead to 109-104 with 3:40 to play, but James hit his sixth 3-pointer with 1:08 left.
TRAIL BLAZERS 108, KINGS 102
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anfernee Simons had 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Portland won their sixth straight game with a victory over Sacramento.
Shaedon Sharpe added 24 points for the Blazers, who have won 10 of their last 11.
DeMar DeRozan had 22 for the Kings, who have lost six of their last eight.
It was close from the start. Sacramento pulled in front 91-90 on DeRozan’s jumper and free throw with 6:36 left, but Sharpe answered with a 3-pointer that gave the Blazers back the lead for good.
Jonas Valanciunas made his Kings debut in the first quarter. The center was acquired in a trade Wednesday from the Washington Wizards. He finished with six points and five rebounds.
Neither team managed to lead by double digits. The game was tied at 27 after the first quarter and the Blazers had a 54-50 edge at the break. Zach LaVine, acquired by the Kings in a trade on Sunday, made a 3-pointer that gave the Kings a 60-58 lead in the third quarter.
PACERS 119, CLIPPERS 112
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — All-Star Pascal Siakam scored 33 points and Indiana overcame a 22-point deficit after losing Myles Turner to beat Los Angeles.
Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points. He inadvertently struck Turner in the face going for a rebound in the first quarter. Turner got up and then staggered while making his way to the bench. He was being evaluated for a concussion and did not return. He was scoreless in six minutes.
Norman Powell and James Harden had 22 points each for Los Angeles. Ivica Zubac had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard had 19 points in a season-high 34 minutes.
The Pacers trailed 105-100 before closing the game on a 19-7 run. They made 9 of 10 free throws down the stretch.
The Associated Press
