Cavs beat Pacers with buzzer-beating tip-in, Nuggets extend lead in West; lowly Hawks defeat Wizards
Wednesday 19 December 2018 08:02, UK
D'Angelo Russell scored 22 points and handed out 13 assists against his former team as the Brooklyn Nets rolled to a 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
D'Angelo Russell collected 22 points and a career-high-tying 13 assists as the Brooklyn Nets overcame 36 points from LeBron James on Tuesday night and ran their season-high winning streak to six games by holding on for a 115-110 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.
Facing his former team for the third time since being acquired by Brooklyn on draft night in 2017, Russell posted his second double-double of the season. The guard hit 9 of 21 shots, including a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key over Kyle Kuzma with 22 seconds left to put Brooklyn ahead 113-107.
Then the Nets held on as James made a step-back three-pointer from the left corner while nearly falling out of bounds five seconds later with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson draped all over him.
Hollis-Jefferson split a pair at the line with 15 seconds left, and James fired an airball on a three-point attempt with 10 seconds left. With 8.7 seconds left, Hollis-Jefferson split two more free throws, and James missed another three-pointer with five seconds left.
Joe Harris added 19 points, reserve Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 18 and Hollis-Jefferson finished with 17 as the Nets shot 48.4 per cent and won a sixth straight game for the first time since April 3, 2015.
James nearly posted his third triple-double as a Laker and 76th of his career as he finished with 13 rebounds to go along with eight assists.
Lonzo Ball hit five three-pointers and contributed 23 points before fouling out as Los Angeles shot 46.7 per cent but made only 13 of 40 3-point attempts.
Larry Nance Jr tipped in a missed shot by Alec Burks at the buzzer as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Indiana Pacers 92-91.
Indiana had a chance to ice the game, but Victor Oladipo missed three straight free throws to give Cleveland the opportunity to win only their eighth game of the season.
The Pacers had their seven-game win streak snapped while the Cavaliers ended a two-game skid. The game was tied 10 times and there were 17 lead changes.
Nance, starting in place of the injured Tristan Thompson, finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Rodney Hood scored 17, and Burks came off the bench to add 14 points for Cleveland.
Domantas Sabonis scored 17 points to lead six Indiana players in double figures. Oladipo struggled to score 12 points on 4-of-15 from the field, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and the three costly misses from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers had a chance to tie the game at 91-all, but Hood's three-point attempt was long. Oladipo's floater was off, and Burks' lay-up made the score 91-90 with 12 seconds left.
Hood fouled Oladipo with 9.5 seconds left. Oladipo missed both free throws to set up Nance's game-winner.
Jamal Murray had 22 points, including a big three-pointer late in the game, and also added a career-high 15 assists as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-118.
Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 32 points and also had 16 rebounds to help Denver sweep a four-game homestand and stay atop the Western Conference standings.
Trey Lyles and Monte Morris scored 16 points each off the bench for the Nuggets.
Denver have won nine of their last 11 games, and their 21-9 record ties the best start in franchise history.
Harrison Barnes tied a season high with 30 points and rookie sensation Luka Doncic had 23 points and 12 assists for the Mavericks, who have lost three straight games.
DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Jeremy Lin scored 10 of his 16 points during a 22-9 fourth-quarter spurt that led the Atlanta Hawks to a 118-110 win over the visiting Washington Wizards, ending the club's three-game losing streak.
Lin was one of seven players who scored in double figures for Atlanta. He was 6-for-12 from the field with four assists and three rebounds.
John Collins had a double-double for the seventh time in eight games with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Trae Young scored 19 points with four assists.
The game was tied at 86 when Atlanta began their run, which was punctuated by Kevin Huerter's three-pointer with 5:17 left that gave Atlanta a 13-point lead.
Washington have lost five of their last six games.
The Wizards got 29 points from Bradley Beal, who was 11-for-17 from the floor and added 10 rebounds. Ariza had 19 points and eight rebounds in his Washington debut.
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