The Indiana Pacers erased a 15-point deficit to finish Cleveland’s 12-game NBA successful streak on Sunday, beating the league-leading Cavaliers 108-93.
Andrew Nembhard scored 19 factors, Pascal Siakam added 18 and Myles Turner had 15 factors and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who held off the halftime departure of star guard Tyrese Haliburton with a strained left hamstring.
Indiana handed the Cavaliers their second dwelling lack of the season, incomes their sixth straight victory by a double-digit margin.
“There’s nothing to lose,” Nembhard stated of the Pacers’ second-half surge. “They’re one of the best staff within the league proper now. We simply needed to play exhausting, play collectively, put a bit extra physicality into the sport on the defensive finish and play with that.”
Darius Garland scored 20 factors and dished out seven assists to steer the Cavaliers, who led 53-40 at halftime and pushed the benefit to 60-45 early within the third quarter.
Pacers ahead Bennedict Mathurin and reserve Obi Toppin scored 10 factors every within the third as Indiana outscored Cleveland 37-18 to show the tide.
Toppin’s 12-point complete was a part of a robust efficiency from Indiana’s bench, which outscored Cleveland’s reserves 42-24.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 38 factors and grabbed 11 rebounds to energy the defending champion Celtics to a 120-119 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pels, buoyed by the return of Zion Williamson after a one-game suspension for violating staff coverage, led by as many as 11 factors within the first quarter.
Trey Murphy III scored 30 factors and Williamson added 16, however the Celtics pulled out the win regardless of taking pictures simply 43.6 p.c from the sector and simply 13 of 44 from three-point vary.
Oklahoma Metropolis star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander additionally had a tough taking pictures evening, making simply 5 of 17 photographs from the ground however hitting 16 of 17 free throw makes an attempt to attain 27 within the lopsided victory of the Thunder 136-95 in opposition to the Washington Wizards.
Aaron Wiggins added 23 factors off the bench for Oklahoma Metropolis, which had seven gamers scoring in double figures.
– The Nuggets struggle again –
The Denver Nuggets, pushed by standout performances from Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic, rallied from a 19-point deficit within the third quarter to beat the Mavericks 112-101 in Dallas.
Westbrook scored 21 factors with 10 rebounds and 7 assists, reigning NBA Most Beneficial Participant Jokic scored 19 factors with 18 rebounds and 9 assists and the Nuggets outscored the Mavs 33-12 within the fourth quarter to win victory in Texas.
The Nuggets mounted two spectacular comebacks, erasing a seven-point deficit to take a one-point lead early within the third quarter, earlier than the Mavericks ran away once more.
Denver took the lead for good on Westbrook’s layup for a 97-96 lead with 5:21 to play. Jokic drove for a basket and Westbrook added one other layup and the Nuggets pulled away.
Klay Thompson scored 25 factors to steer the Mavericks, who had been as soon as once more with out star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“I imagine we lead the league in double-digit comebacks, and it is a catch-22 as a result of I do not like the truth that we have misplaced so many occasions by double-digits,” the Washington coach stated. Nuggets Michael Malone.
“What I like about this group is their resilience. We go down, we keep the course, there is not any panic… we keep the course and we attempt to discover a answer.”
In New York, Jalen Brunson scored 44 factors and Karl-Anthony Cities added 30 factors and 18 rebounds to steer the Knicks in a 140-106 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brunson set the tone with 23 factors within the first quarter and overcame a tricky stoop early within the third because the Knicks rebounded from a lopsided loss to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Friday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 factors and Damian Lillard added 22 for the Bucks, whose three-game successful streak ended.
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