AARON Nesmith scored a team-high 24 points, helping the Indiana Pacers rally to a 111-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) in Indianapolis.
Obi Toppin added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Indiana (44-31), which won its seventh game in nine tries, and did so after trailing by 16 in the third quarter. Tyrese Haliburton chipped in 18 points and 11 assists. Indiana is fourth in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the idle Detroit Pistons.
Sacramento (36-39) was paced by DeMarDeRozan’s 31 points and eight assists and DomantasSabonis’s 25-point, 16-rebound output. Zach LaVine scored 20 for the Kings, who have lost six of their last seven and are 10th in the Western Conference, one game up on the idle Phoenix Suns for the final play-in tournament spot.
With the Kings leading 98-95, Haliburton scored five straight, including a stepback triple with 1:17 left, returning the lead to Indiana for the first time since the second quarter. After forcing a Sacramento shot clock violation, Pascal Siakam’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining gave Indiana a 103-98 lead. Nesmith iced the game with a pair of free throws with less than five seconds left.
In other games, it was the Thunder 145, Bulls 117; Celtics 117, Grizzlies 103; Nets 113, Mavs 109; Clippers 96, Magic 87; Lakers 104, Rockets 98; Heat 120, Wizards 94; and Hornets 110, Jazz 106.
Thunder 145, Bulls 117
Isaiah Joe led the way with a season-high-tying 31 points as Oklahoma City beat visiting Chicago for its 10th win in a row.
The Thunder are 28-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this season, setting a record for most out-of-conference wins in NBA history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. He added 12 assists in just 27 minutes of action as he sat out the fourth quarter with the outcome well in hand.
The Bulls took their second consecutive loss and fell to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. The game was the first in Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey since being traded to the Bulls in exchange for Caruso in the offseason. Giddey received a large ovation and finished 6 of 15 for 15 points, with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Celtics 117, Grizzlies 103
Al Horford came off the bench to score 26 points and grab eight rebounds as visiting Boston extended its winning streak to nine games by beating Memphis.
Horford made six 3-pointers in the win, which gave Boston (56-19) six victories during its six-game road trip. The Celtics have won eight in a row on the road overall and are 32-7 record in road games this season. Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Boston’s Derrick White finished with 14 points and made three 3-pointers, the second of which set a franchise record for most made 3-pointers in a season (246).
Ja Morant scored a team-high 26 points for the Grizzlies, who received 20 points and 15 rebounds from Jaren Jackson Jr. Santi Aldama tossed in 21 points. Memphis (44-31) has lost six of its last seven games. The Grizzlies are 0-2 since they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins and named TuomasIisalo interim head coach.
