NBA Roundup: Spurs Bear Down in Final Seconds, Shock Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) shoots over San Antonio Spurs center Charles Bassey (28) in the second half at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Dec 12, 2022. (Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media)

Josh Richardson scored 24 points off the bench and Keldon Johnson blocked the potential game-winning shot in the final seconds as the San Antonio Spurs held on for a wild 112–111 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

The Spurs led by 16 points at intermission and by 92–78 after three quarters, but Cleveland clawed back to within 110–106 on two free throws by Jarrett Allen with 3:04 to play. A basket by Devin Vassell was answered by a pair of foul shots by Darius Garland with 1:38 left.

Donovan Mitchell’s putback layup with 53 seconds remaining brought Cleveland to within two points, and a free throw by Evan Mobley with 37.9 seconds left made it 112–111. After Tre Jones missed a reverse layup with 12.6 seconds left, the Cavaliers had a chance to win, but Mitchell’s layup with 6.7 seconds to go was blocked by Johnson.

Garland then missed a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining, and Vassell stole the rebound from Mitchell to secure the win. Mitchell’s 28 points led all scorers while Caris LeVert added 23 off the bench.

Heat 87, Pacers 82

Jimmy Butler scored seven of his 20 points during a pivotal fourth-quarter run to lead Miami to a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.

Bam Adebayo joined Butler as Miami’s only other scorer in double figures. He finished with 22 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Adebayo also grabbed 12 of his game-high 17 rebounds before intermission.

Buddy Hield, who scored a team-high 19 points, made a 3-pointer in the final minute to pull Indiana to within four points, but the host Pacers could come no closer after Butler’s decisive flurry. Andrew Nembhard scored 18 points for the Pacers. Myles Turner recorded a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Trail Blazers 133, Timberwolves 112

Damian Lillard matched his career high of 11 3-pointers and scored 38 points in three quarters of action to lead Portland to an easy wire-to-wire victory over visiting Minnesota.

Lillard missed just six of his 17 3-point attempts to reach his franchise-record total of 11 for the third time. Jerami Grant added 24 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 16 rebounds. Shaedon Sharpe had 14 points and Anfernee Simons added 12 for the Trail Blazers.

D'Angelo Russell recorded 23 points and eight assists for the Timberwolves, who are 1–2 on their five-game road trip. Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Nowell scored 17 points apiece and Rudy Gobert contributed 16 points and 20 rebounds for Minnesota.

Clippers 113, Celtics 93

Paul George scored 26 points and Kawhi Leonard had a season-high 25 points with nine rebounds as Los Angeles returned from an East Coast road trip to earn a victory over visiting Boston.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 13 points as the Clippers took the lead for good in the second quarter and led by double digits for most of the second half while earning the victory over the team with the top record in the NBA.

Jaylen Brown scored 21 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 points with 11 rebounds as the Celtics lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Nets 112, Wizards 100

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points, leading a cadre of returning players in double figures as visiting Brooklyn continued surging with a win over Washington.

The Nets won for the eighth time in nine games as Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, T.J. Warren, and Nic Claxton all returned after missing Brooklyn’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Irving added 24 points, including nine during a second-quarter run in which the Nets took the lead for good.

Will Barton scored 22 points off the bench for the skidding Wizards, who have lost seven straight and 10 of 11. Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and Kristaps Porzingis also scored 20 points before exiting with lower back tightness. Washington got no closer than eight in the fourth, when Brooklyn led by as many as 16.

Grizzlies 128, Hawks 103

Tyus Jones had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists and host Memphis won its sixth straight game, earning a victory over short-handed Atlanta.

Jones was 8–for–14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, to go along with three steals. Dillon Brooks added 18 points, Santi Aldama had 16 and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high eight blocked shots. The Grizzlies had seven players score in double figures.

The Hawks were playing without four starters—Trae Young (back), Clint Capela (left Achilles), John Collins (left ankle), and Dejounte Murray (left ankle)—as well as top reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic (injury management). De'Andre Hunter, the lone regular starter in the lineup, led with 19 points.

Mavericks 121, Thunder 114

Luka Doncic scored 38 points, narrowly missing a triple-double, to lead host Dallas to a win over Oklahoma City.

Doncic added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Spencer Dinwiddie also was close to a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. The Mavericks needed a big offensive performance, as Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career high with 42 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a flurry, with six points and an assist in the final 2:03 to cut the Dallas lead to five with 28.1 seconds remaining. But Reggie Bullock hit a pair of free throws and Maxi Kleber had a steal late to clinch the game for the Mavericks. Dallas hit 22 3-pointers, their second most of the season, with Tim Hardaway Jr. leading the Mavericks with six.