MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap his 35-point night and lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 120-117 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon.
Randle and the Wolves got the ball back with just 2.1 seconds remaining and called a timeout to advance the ball. The ball found Randle, who hit a 24-footer as time expired.
Minnesota overcame a season-high 44 points from Devin Booker, who needed to carry the offensive load for a Suns team still missing Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal with injuries.
Anthony Edwards added 24 points for Minnesota, most of that coming in the second half. He also picked up a technical foul on the same day he was fined by the league for an obscene gesture he made in Friday’s win over Sacramento.
Grayson Allen scored 18 points off the bench for Phoenix, including a few 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
PACERS 119, HEAT 110
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner scored a season-high 34 points, and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Indiana to a victory over Miami.
Pascal Siakam added 23 points for the Pacers, who shot 52% from the field, and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points and 13 assists.
Tyler Herro scored 28 points, and Bam Adebayo had 24 for the Heat, who were without six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler because of a sprained ankle. Miami was outscored 62-28 in the paint.
The Pacers bounced back from Friday’s debacle, a 124-111 loss to the Butler-less Heat that coach Rick Carlisle said left him “ashamed.” Indiana never trailed in the rematch.
CAVALIERS 128, HORNETS 114
CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland scored 25 points, Ty Jerome matched his career-high with 24 in place of Donovan Mitchell and Cleveland stayed unbeaten with a win over Charlotte.
The Cavs are the fourth team to start 15-0, joining the Golden State Warriors (2016), Houston Rockets (1994) and Washington Capitols (1949). The Warriors set the league record by winning their first 24 games on the way to a 73-9 season.
Evan Mobley had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen had 21 and 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which will play at defending champion Boston on Tuesday.
LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists, and Miles Bridges scored 19 for the Hornets.
PISTONS 124, WIZARDS 104
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Detroit over Washingto.
Jaden Ivey scored 28 points and Malik Beasley added 26 for Detroit. Cunningham has four triple-doubles this season, two behind league leader Nikola Jokic.
It was the eighth straight loss for Washington, which was home after a five-game trip. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points apiece for the Wizards.
Detroit held Washington to 18 points in the first quarter and led 65-53 at halftime. The lead was never in single digits after that, with the Pistons going on a 12-3 run to take an 85-64 advantage on a dunk by Jalen Duren.
Wizards center Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, had four points on 1-of-7 shooting.
GRIZZLIES 105, NUGGETS 90
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaren Jackson scored 20 points, and Memphis built a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter in a victory over short-handed Denver in the opener of a two-game set.
The teams will meet again Tuesday night in Memphis in an NBA Cup game.
Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic missed the game for personal reasons, while forward Aaron Gordon is recovering from a strained right calf. Denver has lost two straight.
Rookie Jaylen Wells added 15 points to help Memphis win its fourth straight home game. Desmond Bane had 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Julian Strawther led Denver with 19 points. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray scored 13 points each, going a combined 11 of 26 from the field and 1 of 8 on 3s.
TRAIL BLAZERS 114, HAWKS 110
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Shaedon Sharpe had 32 points, including a key 3-pointer down the stretch, and Portland withstood a late rally by Atlanta for a victory.
Dalano Banton added 23 points for Portland, which has won its last three games.
Portland led 94-81 heading into the last period, but the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to get within 99-96 before Trae Young’s 3-pointer tied it at 99. Young made another 3 that gave Atlanta a 102-101 lead.
Sharpe’s shot-clock beating 3-pointer with 1:03 left put Portland ahead 109-108, and the Blazers hung on the rest of the way. Sharpe had Portland’s last 11 points.
KNICKS 114, NETS 104
NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns returned from a one-game absence with 26 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, and New York completed a two-game weekend sweep of Brooklyn with a victory.
OG Anunoby had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who were without Towns because of a bruised left knee when they beat the Nets 124-122 on Friday on Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining.
Mikal Bridges added 21 points and Josh Hart had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks, who beat their city rivals for the eighth straight time. Brunson finished with just 12 points, shooting 3 for 14, but had 10 assists.
Cam Johnson scored 22 points for the Nets, who dropped their third straight.
ROCKETS 143, BULLS 107
CHICAGO (AP) — Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 28 points, Alperen Sengun scored 20 while pulling down 11 rebounds and posting 11 assists for his second triple-double this season, and Houston routed Chicago for their fifth straight win.
Jalen Green scored 18 points as all five Houston starters reached double-figures and the Rockets topped their previous season-high in points (128). Houston bench ace Amen Thompson played despite right quad soreness and added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rockets dominated in the paint at both ends and pulled in 75 rebounds to Chicago’s 56.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 15 points and was the only starter to reach double figures. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 12 off the bench as the Bulls dropped their second straight and third in four.
MAVERICKS 121, THUNDER 119
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — P.J. Washington had 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Dallas held off Oklahoma City without star guard Luka Doncic.
Washington averaged just over eight points and seven rebounds per game entering Sunday’s game but stepped up in the absence of Doncic, who was out with a bruised right knee.
The Mavericks’ offense purred anyway. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and helped Dallas shoot 48% from the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and Jalen Williams added 27 for the Thunder, who entered the night with a Western Conference-best 11-2 record. The Thunder are now 3-1 without Chet Holmgren.
The Associated Press
