James Harden willed the Rockets to another win. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
BOSTON — The Golden State Warriors, the team with the best record in the NBA, spotted the Boston Celtics a 26-point, first-half lead but roared from behind and ended the Celtics’ three-game winning streak with a 106-101 victory on Sunday night.
Down 56-30 almost halfway through the second quarter and by 16 at the break, the Warriors (46-11) made some noise in the third, but still trailed by nine points entering the fourth quarter. A 19-8 run, coming as the Celtics sagged offensively, gave the Warriors their first lead since 4-3 with 3:27 left — forward Draymond Green’s tip-in snapping a 94-94 tie.
Guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ Splash Brothers, combined for 57 points but it was driving layups by forward Harrison Barnes and guard Andre Iguodala that brought the visitors from a point down to a three-point lead with 26.2 seconds left. The baskets came after a long 3-pointer by rookie guard Marcus Smart that gave the Celtics their last lead, 99-98 with 1:43 remaining.
With Golden State ahead by three, Boston guard Avery Bradley badly missed a 3-pointer from the right corner, but guard Isaiah Thomas got the rebound and was fouled. He then scored on a drive with 11.8 seconds remaining, but Curry, who had 37 points, hit two free throws with 10.5 seconds left. Thomas got a good look at a trey but missed, and Curry hit two more free throws.
Rockets 105, Cavaliers 103 (OT)
HOUSTON — LeBron James capped a nightmare performance at the free-throw line with a pair of misses with 4.2 seconds left and Houston held on for an overtime win over Cleveland at Toyota Center.
James finished 3-for-11 at the charity stripe, with his final two bricks coming with the Cavaliers (37-24) trailing by one point. James missed five consecutive free throws at one point yet finished with a game-high 37 points plus eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks as Cleveland had its 10-game win streak against the Western Conference snapped.
Rockets guard James Harden finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Forward Terrence Jones added 19 points and seven rebounds as Houston (41-18) claimed its fifth consecutive win and extended its home win streak over Cleveland to eight games.
Clippers 96, Bulls 86
CHICAGO — Guard Chris Paul scored 28 points with 12 assists to lead Los Angeles to a win against Chicago.
Guard Jamal Crawford added 16 points for the Clippers (39-21), who earned their sixth win in the past eight games. Center DeAndre Jordan scored nine points and pulled down 26 rebounds, including 17 in the first half, to mark his eighth consecutive game with at least 15 boards.
Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic came off the bench to lead Chicago with a career-high 29 points on 11-for-23 shooting. Guard Aaron Brooks added 14 points for the Bulls (37-23).
Trail Blazers 110, Kings 99
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Guard Damian Lillard scored 31 points and forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 26, leading Portland to a victory against Sacramento.
Aldridge added 15 rebounds for his 30th double-double of the season. Guard Wesley Matthews scored 17 points, and center Robin Lopez had 15 for Portland.
Forward Rudy Gay led the Kings with 24 points. Forward Derrick Williams came off the bench to score 18 points. Guards Ben McLemore, Ray McCollum and Andre Miller each scored 12 points for Sacramento.
The Kings were without All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, their leading scorer and rebounder, who missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle and left hip contusion. Power forward Jason Thompson moved to center, and forward Carl Landry moved into the starting lineup. They combined for seven points and eight rebounds.
Hornets 98, Magic 83
ORLANDO, Fla. — Veteran guard Mo Williams scored 23 points and added a game-high 11 assists to lead Charlotte to a victory over Orlando at the Amway Center.
The Bobcats (24-33), who are battling to stay in playoff contention, had a well-balanced attack with all five starters scoring at least 11 points.
Center Al Jefferson had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Guard Gerald Henderson had 16 points. Forward Cody Zeller had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Guard Victor Oladipo led the Magic attack with 21 points and five assists. Forward Tobias Harris had 13 points and nine rebounds. Reserve forward Andrew Nicholson had 11 points. Center Nikola Vucevic had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Pacers 94, 76ers 74
INDIANAPOLIS — Guard George Hill scored 17 points, and center Roy Hibbert contributed 14 points, a season-best-tying 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in Indiana’s victory over Philadelphia in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana, which won for the eighth time in 10 games and the 10th time in 14, finished the game on a 13-0 run, limiting the 76ers to four field goals on 22 fourth-quarter shots.
The 74 points represented the lowest total by a Pacers opponent this season.
Two Hibbert free throws with 6:17 to play gave Indiana an 83-74 lead. Hibbert’s field goal with 4:40 remaining pushed the advantage to 85-74, and forward Luis Scola’s jumper at 3:51 created an 87-74 cushion. Scola finished with 15 points for Indiana (25-34), which outrebounded Philadelphia 53-47.
Thunder 108, Lakers 101
LOS ANGELES — Despite playing without injured All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City had little trouble with Los Angeles.
Point guard D.J. Augustin and forward Serge Ibaka scored 18 points apiece, and the Thunder (33-27) snapped a two-game skid with a 108-101 victory over the Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center.
Augustin also had nine rebounds and five assists, while Ibaka finished with 14 rebounds and three blocks. Center Enes Kanter had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, guard Jeremy Lamb scored 14 and forward Nick Collison added 12 points for Oklahoma City.
Guard Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 20 points and dished out eight assists to lead the Lakers (16-42), who had their three-game winning streak end. Center Jordan Hill had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
