Bogdanovic leads Pacers past struggling Hawks

Bojan Bogdanovic picked up the slack after an injury to Victor Oladipo, scoring 22 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 97-89 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Bogdanovic, the NBA leader in 3-point percentage, was 3-for-5 beyond the arc and 7-for-12 from the field. He added four rebounds and helped the Pacers win their second in a row.

The Pacers played most of the game without Oladipo, who left after only four minutes with a sore right knee. Oladipo, who had seen his streak of 20-point games end at 13 in his last start, scored only two points before departing.

Indiana also got 12 points each from Darren Collison and Aaron Holiday, who came off the bench to sink 3-of-4 from downtown. Myles Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Domantas Sabonis matched his career high with 16 rebounds.

Turner had three blocked shots, allowing him to pass Clemon Johnson and move into seventh place on the Pacers' all-time block list.

It was the seventh straight loss for the Hawks, who went 0-4 on a road trip that took the team to the West Coast and Denver before finishing in Indianapolis.

Atlanta got power forward John Collins back from an ankle injury that has kept him out all season. Collins had 12 points and two rebounds in his return.

The Hawks were led by Jeremy Lin with 16 points and Kent Bazemore with 13. Dewayne Dedmon added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Atlanta played without second-leading scorer Taurean Price for the second straight game with a sore Achilles.

The Hawks led 56-47 at halftime thanks to a 32-22 second-quarter effort. But the third period, a problem all season, was an issue again with Atlanta being outscored 26-16. That allowed the Pacers to enter the final period with a 73-72 lead.

The Pacers shot 40 percent (12-of-30) from behind the arc, while the Hawks shot 27.6 percent (8-of-29). Atlanta rookie Trae Young was 0-for-5 from long range and finished with nine points.

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Pacers' Oladipo sinks Celtics with 3 in final seconds

Victor Oladipo capped a wild finish with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining Saturday night, delivering the host Indiana Pacers a 102-101 victory over the Boston Celtics.

After sweeping two games at Indiana last season, the Celtics appeared headed for another road success when Kyrie Irving hit consecutive 3-pointers in the final 1:08, the second putting Boston up 101-97 with just 38.1 seconds remaining.

But after Oladipo cut the deficit in half with two three throws with 29.2 seconds left, the Pacers got a shot at the win after Irving couldn't complete a drive with 11.7 seconds to go.

Oladipo got the defensive rebound and, a few seconds later, connected from 27 feet for the game-winner.The Celtics had one final possession, but Oladipo stole a pass from Gordon Hayward and ran out the clock.

Oladipo finished with game highs in points (24) and rebounds (12) for the Pacers, who won their third straight in the opener of a three-game homestand.

Tyreke Evans (17 points), Bojan Bogdanovic (16), Myles Turner (12) and Domantas Sabonis (12) also scored in double figures for the Pacers.

Marcus Morris had 23 points and Irving 18 for the Celtics, who were seeking a fifth straight win in the opener of a five-game trip.

Jayson Tatum and Al Horford added 14 points apiece for Boston, while Jaylen Brown had 12.

Morris, Irving and Tatum each hit four 3-pointers and the Celtics had 19 in all, outscoring the Pacers 57-33 from beyond the arc.

Until the final seconds, neither team led by more than three points in a fourth quarter that featured 11 lead changes and three ties.

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Oladipo's hot shooting lifts Pacers past Knicks

Victor Oladipo gave the Indiana Pacers the lead for good with a fast break dunk off his own steal with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter Wednesday night and drained a pair of pivotal 3-pointers over the final 90 seconds as the Pacers beat the host New York Knicks, 107-101.

Domantas Sabonis hit his first 12 shots from the field and finished with 30 points in just 21 minutes off the bench for the Pacers, who have won three of four. Oladipo scored 24 points while Thaddeus Young (13 points) and Bojan Bogdanovic (10 points) also reached double figures.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 37 points for the Knicks, who have lost six of seven. Three of those losses have been to a trio of Eastern Conference contenders -- Indiana, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks -- by a combined 19 points. Noah Vonteh and Allonzo Trier each had 14 points while Damyean Dotson added 13 points.

Oladipo scored 19 of his points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter. His steal off Hardaway near midcourt and subsequent dunk provided the seventh and final lead change of an entertaining fourth quarter that also included four ties.

After Lance Thomas missed a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Knicks, Young hit a sky hook on the other end to extend the Pacers lead to 100-97. Following a New York timeout, Hardaway missed a 3-pointer, after which Oladipo sank a 3-pointer as the shot clock neared zero to give Indiana a 103-97 lead.

The Knicks scored the next four points on a pair of free throws by Hardaway and a layup by Trier. Bogdanovic air balled a 3-pointer on the Pacers' next trip, but Young leaped over the baseline to save the ball and passed while in midair to Oladipo, who beat the shot clock again with another 3-pointer with 21.6 seconds left.

The Knicks missed a pair of 3-pointers before Oladipo sealed the game by hitting one of two free throws with 4.8 seconds left.

--Field Level Media

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76ers' Simmons named Rookie of the Year

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons has been named the NBA's Rookie of the Year after the former No. 1 overall pick helped the team break its five-year playoff drought.

Simmons beat out Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. The award was presented at Monday night's NBA Awards show in Santa Monica, Calif.

"I'd like to thank my family, to start off with," Simmons said. "My family, friends, you know I wouldn't be here without them, and my teammates of course and my great coach (Brett Brown), and the city of Philadelphia for really embracing me."


Simmons was taken with the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but a broken foot sidelined him for the 2016-17 season.

The 6-foot-10 guard averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals over 81 games last season.

Simmons, who turns 22 next month, helped the 76ers advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in a five-game series. He averaged 16.3 points, 9.4 boards, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals in the playoffs.

Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is the NBA's Most Improved Player after a stellar first season in Indiana that ended in a playoff showdown with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He beat out fellow finalists Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.

"Shout out to the Pacers organization for believing in me," said Oladipo, who was dealt to Indiana last offseason in the deal that sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. "It's only the beginning for us."

Oladipo, 26, averaged a career-high 23.1 points with 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals to earn his first career All-Star selection, as well as a spot on the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive first team.

In the playoffs, Oladipo averaged 22.7 points, 8.3 boards, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals, but it wasn't enough to send the Pacers onto the conference semifinals, as they lost to the Cavaliers in seven games.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, beating out Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Gobert, who turns 26 on Tuesday, missed 26 games during the regular season with multiple injuries, but still anchored a Jazz defense that posted the second-best defensive rating (101.6) in the NBA last season.

The Frenchman averaged 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 56 games to earn his second straight NBA All-Defensive first-team selection. Gobert led the league in blocks in 2016-17 with 2.6 per game.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams is now a two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner after being named the league's best bench player for the 2017-18 campaign.

Williams, who also won the award with the Toronto Raptors in 2014-15, averaged career highs of 22.6 points and 5.3 assists, along with 1.1 steals in 79 games (19 starts) last season with the Clippers.

"I want to thank the Clippers organization for giving me an opportunity to be myself," Williams said.

He beat out finalists Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets and Fred VanVleet of the Raptors. Gordon won the award last season.

Dwane Casey earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Raptors to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Casey beat out Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Jazz coach Quin Snyder for the honor.

Under Casey, the Raptors won a franchise-record 59 games opposite 23 losses to claim the No. 1 seed in the East. However, Casey was fired after the Raptors' second consecutive second-round loss to James and the Cavaliers. He was hired as the new coach of the Detroit Pistons, replacing Stan Van Gundy.

Casey also coached the Eastern Conference in this year's All-Star Game.

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NBA: Pacers hold back Bucks

Victor Oladipo scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as the visiting Indiana Pacers fended off the Milwaukee Bucks' late comeback attempt and snapped their two-game losing streak with a 103-96 victory Friday night at the Bradley Center.

All five Pacers starters scored in double figures, as did Lance Stephenson, who came off the bench to finish with 16 points. Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points, Myles Turner 13, Cory Joseph 12 and Thaddeus Young 10.


Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 with a 10-for-12 showing from the free throw line. However, the Bucks shot just 38.3 percent from the floor and went 9 of 25 from long distance as their losing streak reached four games.

Indiana made 44.6 percent of its field goal attempts, including 6 of 16 from 3-point range.

Milwaukee held a 46-45 lead at halftime despite shooting 35.6 percent. Antetokounmpo had 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, but was 4-for-10 from the floor while Bledsoe missed 7 of 8 first-half shots.

Fortunately for the Bucks, Indiana was even worse from the floor. The Pacers hit only 15 of 45 shots before halftime, and just two baskets came from beyond the arc. Turner led the way with 10 while Young and Stephenson added seven each.

Oladipo was held to four points in the first half but scored nine in the third quarter. Milwaukee missed 12 of its first 15 shots after the break while Antetokounmpo missed all five of his attempts in the third period. The Bucks went into the fourth in a 78-67 hole.

The Pacers blew the game wide open in the fourth and stretched their lead to 17 when Oladipo fed Domantas Sabonis for a 14-foot jumper with 6:34 left that made it a 93-76 game.

Milwaukee finally showed a pulse, starting with a 3-pointer from Middleton that kicked off a 10-0 run. Bledsoe capped it off with a 3-pointer off an assist from Antetokounmpo that got the Bucks within seven with 4:35 remaining.

An offensive foul on Turner marked a third straight empty possession for Indiana and kept Milwaukee's run going. Antetokounmpo made it a five point game with a pair of free throws. Bledsoe blocked Oladipo's 3-point attempt from the corner, and after Bledsoe turned it over, Oladipo finally broke the Pacers' drought with a 28-footer.

Milwaukee got no closer than four the rest of the way.

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Pacers send Nets to seventh straight loss

Victor Oladipo scored 25 points as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 108-103 Wednesday night at Barclays Center in New York.

Oladipo shot 9-of-24 from the floor but made enough plays to help Indiana win for the 14th time in the last 20 games. He pushed the Pacers ahead 101-97 by converting a layup with 50.5 seconds remaining, and the Nets never came closer.

Cory Joseph added 15 and 11 rebounds while former Net Bojan Bogdanovic contributed 14 as Indiana beat Brooklyn for the seventh straight time, in a game that featured 29 lead changes and 17 ties.

Thaddeus Young, who also used to play for Brooklyn, added 13, as did Al Jefferson. Myles Turner totaled 11 points and 14 rebounds, helping Indiana to a 52-44 edge on the glass.

Allen Crabbe scored 24 points for the Nets, who dropped their season-high seventh straight game and lost for the 11th time in 12 games since Jan. 21. DeMarre Carroll added 21 while D'Angelo Russell contributed 18 as Brooklyn shot 42.2 percent and missed nine consecutive shots from the field in the final four minutes before a 3 with 25 seconds left.

A tight first half featured 12 ties and 20 lead changes as neither team held more than a four-point lead. The half ended with Bogdanovic hitting a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left for a 54-54 deadlock.

Oladipo was 3-for-9 in the first half but scored nine straight points to give Indiana a 67-61 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third. The lead grew to 71-63 on a dunk by Young two minutes later but the Nets scored the next eight points and forged a 71-71 tie on Carroll's 3-pointer with 2:12 remaining.

After Oladipo missed a 3-pointer, Russell drove through the lane for a 73-71 lead with 1:36 left. Following another Oladipo miss, Harris hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:03 left and another Carroll 3-pointer with 31.1 seconds left capped a 16-2 run and gave Brooklyn a 79-73 lead heading into the fourth.

The Nets held a 95-93 lead on Crabbe's 3-pointer with 4:09 left before going cold.

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Pacers rally back from 21-point deficit to beat Magic

Victor Oladipo scored 24 points and Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 as the Indiana Pacers rallied for a 114-112 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Thaddeus Young added 20 points for the Pacers, who trailed by 21 in the first half. Stephenson had nine points in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 17 points and team-high nine rebounds.

Trailing 106-96, the Pacers used a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to grab a 111-106 advantage with 2:22 to go. Oladipo's basket gave Indiana its first lead of the game at 107-106 with 3:30 left.

Orlando's Evan Fournier's layup cut the Pacers' lead to 113-112 with 22 seconds to go. Sabonis hit the second of two free throws to push the lead 114-112 with 20.5 seconds remaining.

Aaron Gordon was fouled with 7 seconds left and missed the first free throw. He missed the second on purpose, and Fournier got the rebound. Jonathon Simmons missed a 3-point shot with 2 seconds to go, and Oladipo got the rebound.

Gordon recorded highs for the Magic with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Fournier added 21 points.

The Magic shot 54.5 percent overall from the field, while the Pacers shot 54 percent. The Pacers swept the season series with the Magic.

The Magic led by as many as 21 before settling for a 70-53 halftime lead. Pacers guard Darren Collison sank a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Indiana cut the deficit to 78-71 with 7:23 left in third quarter. The Pacers couldn't get any closer in the third quarter, but trailed the Magic by just eight points (92-84) after three quarters.

Indiana trimmed Orlando's lead to five points early in the fourth quarter, then made the late run.

Orlando shot 60 percent in the first half, while Indiana made 45.7 percent.

Gordon converted a rare four-point play with 2 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Magic a 32-22 lead.

The Magic shot 59.1 percent in the opening quarter.

Indiana center Myles Turner entered the game with four-plus minutes left in the first quarter after missing the last nine games with a right elbow injury. Turner scored four points in 11 minutes.

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NBA: Pacers kick off 5-game trip with rout of Suns

Indiana guard Darren Collison scored 19 points to lead seven Pacers in double figures in a 120-97 rout of the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on Sunday.

Victor Oladipo had 17 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 for the Pacers (23-20), who overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Cleveland on Friday but were never in danger against the slumping Suns.

Reserve guard Cory Joseph scored 16 points and center Domantas Sabonis had 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who led by 33 points late in the third period and turned to the bench the rest of the way.

Collison played 27 minutes and forward Thaddeus Young played 25, the only starters to play as much as the half the game in the first of the Pacers' five-game road trip that includes two sets of back-to-back games, including one Monday in Utah.

Forward Josh Jackson lead the Suns (16-28) with 21 points in his first game back after missing two with a hip injury. The Suns have lost four of five.

Devin Booker, who averages 24.4 points per game, had 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Reserves Troy Daniels and Isaiah Canaan had 13 points apiece and Alex Len had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

   
Indiana committed only six turnovers and shot 54.5 percent from the floor while making 11-of-23 3-pointers. Oladipo, Young, Bogdanovic and Joseph made two apiece.

The Suns did not lead after the first three minutes, and reserve forward T.J. Leaf's dunk with 8:20 remaining in the first half enabled the Pacers to double the Suns, 42-21.

Indiana led by 20 at halftime, and Leaf's 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter gave the Pacers a 33-point lead, 92-59.

The Suns shot 41.2 percent from the floor and made 9-of-37 3-point attempts.

Suns forward Dragan Bender, who had 34 points and made 9-of-14 3-point attempts in the past two games, did not score in 30 minutes. He was 0-for-7 from the field, 0-for-6 on threes. He started for the second straight game in place of injured Marquese Chriss.

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Oladipo returns, leads Pacers to romp over Bulls

After missing four games with a sore right knee, Victor Oladipo showed no signs of rustiness in scoring 23 points in 23 minutes to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 125-86 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Oladipo, who hit 9 of 11 shots, also had nine assists, five steals and six rebounds as the Pacers (20-19) snapped a five-game losing streak.

"We did a great job staying together and setting the tone and we've got to do that every night," Oladipo told Fox Sports Indiana.

Domantas Sabonis scored 22 on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench for Indiana.

  
The Pacers, who led by as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter. got other major contributions from the bench with rookie T.J. Leaf (15 points), Joe Young (11 points) and Cory Joseph (team-high 10 rebounds).

The Bulls, who beat Dallas 127-124 on Friday night, looked like a tired team on the second night of a back-to-back.

Chicago (14-26) made just 30 of 80 shots (37.5 percent). Bobby Portis came off the bench to lead Chicago with 15 points. Denzel Valentine and Lauri Markkanen each had 13 points. Justin Holiday was limited to six points on 2-of-14 shooting.

Indiana hit 15 of 20 shots in the third quarter to expand a halftime lead of 64-37 to 101-67 after three quarters. The Pacers hit 48 of 86 shots (55.8 percent) overall.

Veteran Damien Wilkins started in place of Bojan Bogdanovic, who was out with an Achilles heel injury. It was Wilkins' first start with the Pacers and he finished with 11 points

Pacers coach Nate McMillan decided to start Wilkins instead of Lance Stephenson, so Stephenson could return to his regular role off the bench.

Oladipo hit 4 of 5 shots en route to nine points in the first quarter as the Pacers led 31-26.

The Pacers outscored the Bulls 33-11 in the second quarter. Indiana hit 25 of 48 shots in the first half while Chicago was 14 of 40 from the field.

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NBA: Pacers' Oladipo showing the promise he once projected

Benefiting from an off-season trade, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is finally becoming the franchise player he was projected to be.

The 2013 top-two draft choice had been seen as ancillary to the deal when Indiana sent cornerstone Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But Oladipo appears focused on proving his worth in a new lead role with the Pacers.

“I was already motivated before (the trade to Indiana), Oladipo told Reuters following a recent win over Atlanta.

“Then (the trade) just happened. It might have added on a little bit but I was already motivated.”

The fifth-year player has translated his motivation into career-best production as he averages 25.3 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting, which includes 42.5 percent from three-point range.

He adds five rebounds and nearly two steals a night.

The Pacers, who were expected to fall off a cliff in the absence of George, are holding steady at 19-14, the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference.

Oladipo has been particularly devastating in the month of December, erupting for scoring binges that included a 47-point night in a win against Denver.

Always known for his slashing athleticism and versatile defense, Oladipo has found a shooting comfort back in Indiana where he starred as a college player.

“He’s come into the season with confidence, and I think to prove himself,” said Pacers coach Nate McMillan who has enjoyed extensive film sessions with his new guard.

“There was a lot of conversation out there that the Pacers didn’t get enough in (trading away George). I think he’s proven to the league that he has talent.”

The Orlando Magic were intrigued by Oladipo’s talent when they drafted him as the second overall pick in the 2013 draft.

After three solid but not spectacular seasons with the Magic, Oladipo was shipped to the Thunder.

Playing alongside ball-dominant superstar Russell Westbrook, Oladipo had the role of unsung sidekick.

So when the Pacers landed Oladipo, expectations were low.

He is proving otherwise and appears headed for his first ever All Star appearance.

“We felt like he had potential and he’s showing that he did,” McMillan said. “He’s playing with confidence. And when you have that kind of ability and play with that kind of confidence, good things are going to happen for you.” (Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, editing by Gene Cherry)

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Celtics edge Pacers on Rozier's steal and layup

LOS ANGELES -- Terry Rozier's steal and layup with 1.2 seconds remaining Monday gave Boston a 112-111 NBA victory over the Indiana Pacers after the Celtics squandered a 19-point lead.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points while Al Horford scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed off nine assists.

Jayson Tatum contributed 16 points and Marcus Smart added 15 and the Celtics made their first 10 shots and improved the best record in the Eastern Conference to 26-7.

"That was one hell of a of a game to be a part of," Irving said.

Victor Oladipo led the Pacers (17-14) with 38 points, 30 in the second half. His 3-pointer and layup on back-to-back possessions gave Indiana a five-point edge with 31 seconds to play.

An Irving 3-pointer pulled Boston within 110-109 with nine seconds remaining. Rozier followed by intercepting a Bojan Bogdanovic pass intended for Oladipo and raced the opposite way for the winning layup.

"It's a tough, tough loss," Oladipo said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win and we competed with the best team in the Eastern Conference. We can be that good. We just have to keep on getting better."

Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points on 16-of-28 shooting from the floor and sank the winning free throw after being fouled later in the host Thunder's 95-94 victory over Denver.

The Houston Rockets stretched their win streak to 14 games with a 120-99 rout of visiting Utah as Eric Gordon scored 33 points, making a career-high seven 3-pointers, and James Harden added 26 points, six rebounds and six assists with Chris Paul contributing 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Rockets center Clint Capela returned from injury and had 24 points and 20 rebounds while Rodney Hood led Utah with 26 points.

Minnesota's Jimmy Butler, who scored 37 points, hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left and Damian Lillard missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer as the host Timberwolves held off Portland 108-107. Lillard had 17 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds while Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum each scored 20 for the Trail Blazers.

Nikola Mirotic and Kris Dunn each scored 22 points and Justin Holiday added 20 to power the host Chicago Bulls to their sixth consecutive victory, a 117-115 triumph over Philadelphia. Dario Saric led the 76ers with 27 points while Australian rookie star Ben Simmons added 19 points.

Kent Bazemore's two late baskets among his 16 points halted a Miami rally as the host Atlanta Hawks beat the Heat 110-104. Taurean Prince matched a career high with 24 points and Dennis Schroder added 21 for the Hawks. Josh Richardson had 26 points for Miami.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points and Tony Parker added 16 as the San Antonio Spurs cruised past the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 109-91 while T.J. Warren scored 19 points and Isaiah Canaan added 17 to power the Phoenix Suns over host Dallas 97-91.

At Charlotte, reserve Frank Kaminsky scored 24 points and the host Hornets snapped a three-game losing streak with a 109-91 victory over New York.

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Oladipo shines as Pacers down Nuggets in overtime

LOS ANGELES -- Victor Oladipo poured in a career-high 47 points to lead the Pacers to a 126-116 overtime triumph over the Denver Nuggets in Indianapolis.

His electrifying performance had chants of "M-V-P" ringing around Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but Oladipo isn't the kind of player to let the admiration go to his head.

"I've got a lot of work to do," he said. "I'm trying to be great. There's no in between, and I can't settle for anything less."

The Pacers scored the last eight points in regulation to tie it. Oladipo's driving layup sliced the deficit to 114-112 with 55 seconds remaining.

After an Oladipo miss, Thaddeus made the put-back basket to tie it at 114-114 with 5.5 seconds left. Denver's Will Barton had a chance to win it but missed at the buzzer.

The Pacers dominated overtime 12-2 -- Oladipo delivering six points in the extra period.

"The biggest thing in the overtime is we got stops," Oladipo said after the Pacers won their fourth straight. "That's what won the game."

- Raptors rolling -

The Toronto Raptors posted their sixth straight win with a 102-87 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.

The Raptors now boast the third-best record in the East, but coach Dwane Casey saw plenty of room for improvement after his team squandered an early 15-point lead before taking control for good in the third period.

"Consistency is something we're fighting for," Casey said. "We're trying to scratch at it."

Maybe so, but the Raptors are averaging 117 points per game during their winning streak, and have scored more than 100 in 12 straight.

"I don't think our coach is ever happy," guard Kyle Lowry quipped. "But the thing about our coach is that he's always hard on us. He wants us to be a championship-caliber team."

In New Orleans, the Pelicans used an 18-4 fourth-quarter scoring run to rally past the Philadelphia 76ers 131-124.

The Pelicans had led by 11 at halftime, but the 76ers roared back with a 40-point third quarter and the visitors were up 103-96 with less than 10 minutes to play.

Jrue Holiday made three three-pointers in the Pelicans' decisive run, finishing with 34 points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks for the third time this season, hanging on for a 97-92 win in Minneapolis.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who consolidated their fourth place in the West.

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Thunder land George in trade with Pacers: reports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired All Star forward Paul George in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, several news outlets reported on Friday.

The Thunder are expected to send guard Victor Oladipo and forward Domantas Sabonis to the Pacers as a part of the deal.

George has been the talk of trade rumors for the past couple of weeks after he informed the Pacers he was not re-signing and planned to become a free agent when his contract was up next summer.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets had all been rumored as possible destinations for the 27-year-old, who will now team up with league MVP Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City.

George averaged 23.7 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Pacers, who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

The Thunder were also knocked out of the opening round of the postseason after a campaign that saw Westbrook average the first triple double for a complete season since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Countdown to triple-double record continues as Thunder prevail

Russell Westbrook delivered his 34th triple double of the season as the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fourth straight with a 123-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

Westbrook also had 16 assists and 10 rebounds for the Thunder who led by as many as 32 after grabbing a 30-point advantage early in the final quarter.

"My job is to make sure I make the game easy for my teammates," Westbrook said. "They (Raptors) are an aggressive team and I have to use that to my advantage."

Victor Oladipo added 23 points as the Thunder improved to 39-29 on the season.

The Raptors dropped to 29-29 and have lost four of their past seven games.

They had a 10-point cushion at the half and stretched that to 27 at the end of the third.

Enes Kanter contributed 14 points off the bench for Oklahoma City. Andre Roberson had 13 points, and Steven Adams and Taj Gibson each scored 10.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 22 points. Norman Powell added 13 points off the bench and Cory Joseph had 11 points. Serge Ibaka and Delon Wright each scored 10 points.

The Thunder led 58-48 at the intermission. Westbrook had 12 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in the first half.

DeRozan led Toronto with 14 first-half points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Westbrook in rare territory with 5th straight triple-double

LOS ANGELES -- Russell Westbrook became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to notch five straight triple-doubles in the NBA, his latest on Sunday, powering Oklahoma City to a 101-92 victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans.

Westbrook scored 28 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and handed out 12 assists for his 10th triple-double of the season and his fifth in a row.

His streak is the longest since Jordan posted seven straight in 1989.

"In my opinion, he's the best athlete in the NBA," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Russell as his team prepared to take on the Thunder star. "It's fun watching him play against everybody else."

It wasn't as much fun being on the receiving end.

Thunder center Enes Kanter recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds. Victor Oladipo added 15 points for Oklahoma City, who withstood 37 points and 15 rebounds from Pelicans star Anthony Davis.

Rookie Buddy Hield broke out of a slump with 16 points, all in the second half, for the Pelicans, who trailed by as many as 15 but cut the lead to seven points with three minutes remaining.

Davis had a chance to trim the deficit to five, but he missed back-to-back shots on the same possession.

Westbrook then produced a fastbreak finger roll to stretch the edge back to 93-84 with 2:39 to play.

An Oladipo free throw and two three-pointers from Hield pulled New Orleans within 94-90. But they would get no closer and Westbrook's three-pointer in the final minute put the game away.

In New York, Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points apiece to lead the Knicks to a 106-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

It was the third time in four games that Rose scored 20 points. Brandon Jennings added a season-high 19 points and Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Knicks, who handed Sacramento their third straight defeat.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 36 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. It marked the 10th time Cousins has scored at least 30 points this season.

Magic turn tables on Pistons

The Orlando Magic ended a seven-game run of futility against Detroit, downing the Pistons 98-92 thanks in large part to a stellar performance from Serge Ibaka.

Ibaka scored 21 points with seven rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and three steals for the Magic, who hadn't beaten the Pistons since November 17, 2014.

"There's no question he's an elite big man. He's one of the best two-way bigs in the game," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "There's no other way to put it. He's shooting the ball from the perimeter, he's scoring in the post and he's really trusting the pass. He's buying into the hot potato type of mindset, where the open man gets the shot every time. And he's a force on the defensive end."

Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Orlando, who have won three of their last four after a four-game slump.

"I don't care about the stats," Ibaka said. "We've been looking for those wins for a long time now. That's the most important thing for me because I know when the team wins, everybody looks good."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cavs, Thunder clinch playoff spots, Warriors thump Mavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder clinched NBA playoff berths as reigning champions Golden State continued to roll toward the post-season with a win at Dallas.

In Orlando, Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and added five assists to lead the Cavaliers to a 109-103 victory over the Magic.

Irving, who had 33 points Wednesday in a victory over Dallas, scored 10 points in the decisive fourth quarter as the Cavs overcame a big night from Magic guard Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo scored a career-high 45 points, but only six in the fourth period.

Cleveland superstar LeBron James, back after resting one game, had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Cavs improved their East-leading record to 49-19.

They made their playoff spot official, but coach Tyronn Lue said there was no time to celebrate.
"We thought we were going to make the playoffs, so it wasn't really a big deal to clinch," Lue said. "We have bigger things ahead of us."

- Westbrook triple-double -

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant again led the way for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Northwest Division clinched a playoff berth with a 111-97 victory over the lowly 76ers in Philadelphia.

Westbrook delivered his league-leading 13th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

"I come out and compete every night at a high level and try to keep my energy up for my teammates," Westbrook said. "I think it's fun to see where we're playing the right way. It's fun for our guys to see everybody happy playing the right way."

Durant added 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, scoring at least 20 points for the 54th straight game.

Enes Kanter scored 16 points and Steven Adams had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who improved to 47-22.

They are third in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.


- Warriors cruise past Mavs -

The Warriors improved to 62-6 with a 130-112 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors avenged one of their six defeats this season -- a loss in Dallas on December 30 when reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry was sidelined with a minor injury.

This time Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson scored 39 and made 10 of 15 from three-point range as the Warriors warmed-up for their marquee matchup with the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday.

The showdown between the two best in the West, neither of whom has lost at home yet this season, will see the Warriors without Australian big man Andrew Bogut.

He departed at halftime with a left big toe injury.

Coach Steve Kerr said Bogut wouldn't play on Saturday and in a nod to the fatigue his players are feeling added: "If I had any guts, I'd sit everybody."

Curry, however, said the Warriors would be ready to go in San Antonio.

"We'll be fine," he told ESPN. "They're playing really well right now and we have an opportunity to go in, and it's going to be a tough test for us."

There was unwelcome injury news for the New Orleans Pelicans in their 117-112 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Pelicans, ravaged by injuries this season, saw star forward Anthony Davis depart with a left knee injury late in the first half, after scoring 10 points.

C.J. McCollum scored 30, including a go-ahead three-pointer with a minute left, and Damian Lillard added 33 to lift the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 20 points in the first half but came under pressure from a Pelicans team that got 30 points apiece from Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson.

Pelicans reserve center Kendrick Perkins was ejected with less than eight minutes to play for hooking his forearm around the neck of a driving Lillard, bringing him to the ground in a "clothesline" foul.

"It was a cheap play, but it didn't feel as bad as it might have looked," Lillard said.
Agence France-Presse

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com