Philadelphia 76ers' Tobias Harris hits game winner to down Los Angeles Lakers with 2.4 seconds remaining
Bradley Beal's 47 points not enough for Washington Wizards against New Orleans Pelicans; Domantas Sabonis returns to push the Pacers past Hornets; Sky Sports coverage of the NBA continues on Thursday night when Portland travel to Houston, join us from 12.30am on Sky Sports Arena
Thursday 28 January 2021 07:07, UK
Tobias Harris knocked down a 12-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds remaining to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Los Angeles Lakers 107-106 on Wednesday night.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 28 points, Harris added 24 and Ben Simmons compiled his 31st career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Danny Green also had 14 points as the Sixers improved to 10-1 at home. Anthony Davis had capped a late 13-0 run with a layup with 11.2 seconds left to put the Lakers ahead 106-105, their only lead since the first quarter.
LeBron James paced the Lakers with 34 points, Davis added 23 with eight rebounds and Dennis Schroder had 16. Alex Caruso contributed 10 off the bench.
It was the Lakers first loss on the road this season after winning their opening 10 games - what was a new franchise record.
The Sixers had bolted to a 16-point lead and held a 34-24 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
In the third quarter James was called for a flagrant-1 foul on Embiid after a slight push while the Sixers center was airborne. Embiid crashed hard to the floor on his back and after staying down for a few minutes, hit two free throws and remained in the game.
The Sixers led 81-74 at the end of the third. Davis and James each missed two free throws in the first four minutes of the fourth as the Lakers fell behind 94-81.
Harris hit a short bank shot for a 100-86 lead with 5:10 to go. The Lakers continued to battle back and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope eventually made a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:05 remaining to cut the deficit to 105-104 but the Sixers held on to remain cemented at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Indiana Pacers 116-106 Charlotte Hornets
Doug McDermott scored a season-high 28 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 25 to propel the visiting Indiana Pacers to a 116-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Domantas Sabonis collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists after sustaining a left knee contusion in Indiana's 129-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Justin Holiday highlighted his 19-point performance with five 3-pointers for the Pacers, who rebounded after squandering an early 17-point lead to record their third win in four outings.
Terry Rozier had 20 points, P.J. Washington added 18 and Gordon Hayward and Devonte' Graham each had 16 for the Hornets, who have dropped six of their past seven games.
Charlotte's Cody Zeller, an Indiana native, recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds in his first start since December 23 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brogdon calmly sank a 3-pointer and McDermott added a layup on his team's next possession to extend the Pacers' lead to 110-98 with 4:08 remaining. Indiana was not seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Washington Wizards 106-124 New Orleans Pelicans
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson scored 32 points each and the host New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 47-point performance by Bradley Beal to defeat the Washington Wizards 124-106.
Ingram tied a career-high by making seven 3-pointers as he and Williamson both scored 30 in the same game for the very first time in their two seasons together.
Eric Bledsoe added 18 as the Pelicans began a five-game home-stand with their second victory in 10 games.
Beal scored 24 of his points in the third quarter and finished by making 17 of 36 shots, including 6 of 14 3-pointers.
Robin Lopez added 14 points and Garrison Mathews scored 15 for the short-handed Wizards, who lost their third straight since returning from a nearly two-week absence due to COVID protocols.
Williamson made five of six shots and scored 11 points as the Pelicans rolled to a 35-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Pelicans led by 19 points at halftime and despite Beal's best efforts were comfortable for the rest of the game.
Detroit Pistons 107-122 Cleveland Cavaliers
Collin Sexton had 29 points and the host Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away to a 122-107 victory over the mistake-prone Detroit Pistons.
Andre Drummond powered for 23 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and two blocks for Cleveland. Taurean Prince supplied 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench and Darius Garland had 14 points.
Cedi Osman, Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen added 10 points apiece. Unsurprisingly, Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 26 points. Wayne Ellington had 17 points and Mason Plumlee contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds but also committed eight turnovers.
Derrick Rose added 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench and Delon Wright chipped in 11 points with seven assists.
The Cavaliers turned 22 Detroit turnovers into 30 points and outscored the Pistons 66-46 in the paint.
Detroit's Blake Griffin sat out due to injury management whilst Cleveland's Larry Nance Jr. missed the game with a wrist injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder 102-97 Phoenix Suns
Al Horford and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 21 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder recovered from a slow start to earn a 102-97 road victory against the Phoenix Suns.
Luguentz Dort scored 14 points, including a 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining that put the Thunder in the lead for good at 96-95. Theo Maledon scored 11 points, while Darius Bazley and Hamidou Diallo added 10 each.
Chris Paul scored a season-high 32 points for the Suns against his former team, while Jae Crowder added 17 as the Suns lost their third consecutive game and fifth in their last six.
Paul, who was traded from the Thunder to the Suns in November, helped the Suns to a 17-point lead in the second quarter before seeing his team fall into a 13-point hole in the third. He scored 27 second-half points, his first game with 30 points since Feb. 11 of last season, but it wasn't enough without leading scorer Devin Booker, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain.
Al Horford added a team-high 11 rebounds after missing six games following the birth of his daughter, whilst Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high eight assists.
Minnesota Timberwolves 111-123 Golden State Warriors
Rookie James Wiseman led a balanced attack with a season-best 25 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a second win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in three days, 123-111 in San Francisco.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (20), Andrew Wiggins (19), Damion Lee (17) and Stephen Curry (16) made it five Warriors with 16 or more points as Golden State completed a two-game sweep that began with a 130-108 home romp on Monday night.
No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, squaring off with No. 2 selection Wiseman for the second time in their NBA careers, had 25 points, one off his season best.
The Timberwolves lost for the sixth time in their last seven games.