HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NBA GAMES PLAYED ON SATURDAY (SUNDAY AEDT)
SPURS 118 beat CAVALIERS 115 (OT) - Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 41 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-115 in overtime on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT) despite missing starters Tony Parker and Pau Gasol.
Leonard scored six in OT, including a game-sealing dunk with 4.9 seconds left, as the Spurs regrouped after a late collapse in regulation. Australian point guard Patty Mills scored 13 points to go with five assists and three rebounds to helo San Antonio improve to 18-4 on the road.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving scored 29 apiece for the Cavs, who had the last shot in regulation and had plenty of opportunities in the extra five minutes. Cleveland still had a chance to tie it in the final second of overtime, but Kevin Love missed a three-pointer.
HEAT 109 bt BUCKS 97 - Australian rookie Thon Maker mad his first NBA start for Milwaukee and he scored six points and had one rebound and a steal in his 18 minutes after being called up for Jabari Parker who was benched for breaking team rules.
The 19-year-old started alongside compatriot Matthew Dellavedova in Miami, with Dellavedova returning to the starting line up for the first time in 2017 after being eased in from the bench since working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered late last year.
The Boomers star had 15 points, two rebounds and seven assists in his 35 minutes.
But Dion Waiters tied a career high with 33 points and last-placed Miami won a season-best third game in a row by beating the slumping Bucks.
JAZZ 109 bt PACERS 100 - George Hill scored a season-high 30 points and the Utah Jazz led wire-to-wire in a win over the Indiana Pacers.
The Jazz relied on the Indiana born-and-bred duo of Hill and Gordon Hayward to defeat their hometown team. The game marked the first time Hill had played the Pacers since being traded from Indiana to Utah over the summer. The three-team deal with the Hawks sent Jeff Teague, who scored 19, from Atlanta to Indiana.
Australian forward Joe Ingles scored two points on one-from-six shooting. Dante Exum did not play.
BULLS 102 bt KINGS 99 - Dwyane Wade had 30 points and two key steals in the final minute, Jimmy Butler added 23 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame a 42-point performance by DeMarcus Cousins for a victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Wade, who had 13 points in the fourth quarter, snapped a 99-all tie by making a free throw with 14 seconds left. He had missed a breakaway dunk after making a steal, but Cousins was called for a foul for putting his hand on Wade's hip as he tried to dunk the ball.
On the next Kings possession, Wade came up with another steal and fed Michael Carter-Williams for a breakaway basket to seal the win.
TRAIL BLAZERS 127 bt CELTICS 123 (OT) - Damian Lillard had a three-point play with 47 seconds left in overtime and finished with 28 points to lift Portland over Boston, snapping their four-game losing streak.
CJ McCollum scored 35 points to lead Portland, who lost in the closing seconds in Philadelphia on Friday night. Lillard added seven assists.
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 41 points, his 14th time this season with 30 or more points.
ROCKETS 119 bt GRIZZLIES 95 - Sam Dekker scored a career-high 30 points, James Harden added 29 points and 10 assists and Houston leaned on their usual three-point offence to beat Memphis.
Eric Gordon added 21 points as the Rockets built the lead to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter before easily coasting home.
Marc Gasol scored 32 points and Mike Conley added 15 for the Grizzlies, who lost for the third time in the past four.
NUGGETS 123 bt CLIPPERS 98 - Nikola Jokic scored 19 points and Denver beat short-handed Los Angeles.
Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton and Wilson Chandler added 18 points apiece for the Nuggets, who have won four of their last five games.
SUNS 107 bt KNICKS 105 - Devin Booker scored 26 points and made a go-ahead three-pointer with 31 seconds left, and Phoenix beat New York.
Carmelo Anthony's attempt at a winning three-pointer rimmed out as Phoenix snapped a two-game losing streak and handed New York their second loss in a row.
Eric Bledsoe added 23 points for the Suns, while P.J. Tucker and Marquese Chriss each had 15. Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points, Derrick Rose had 26 and Kristaps Porzingis scored 14.
PISTONS 113 bt WIZARDS 112 - Marcus Morris scored 25 points and tipped in the winning basket at the buzzer, leading the Detroit Pistons over Washington for their third straight win.
Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists, while Tobias Harris added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who let a 16-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter before Morris' big bucket.
HORNETS 112 bt NETS 105 - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Nic Batum made two clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Brooklyn Nets for their third straight win.
Ramon Sessions added 17 points off the bench for the Hornets, who have won nine of their last 10 at home.
HAWKS 110 bt 76ERS 93 - Paul Millsap scored 22 points and combined with Dwight Howard to help Atlanta dominate the boards as the Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers for their ninth win in 11 games.
Millsap grabbed 10 rebounds, and Howard had 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Atlanta, who broke loose for 37 points in the second quarter and neither trailed nor were tied in the second half.
