CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeremy Lin scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the Charlotte Hornets rallied from a 23-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-88 on Monday night.
Lin’s fallaway jumper with 48.4 seconds remaining gave the Hornets the lead for good at 89-88, then he hit two free throws with 18.3 left to push the lead to three. The Hornets held on as Patty Mills and Danny Green each missed 3-pointers for the Spurs in the closing seconds.
The Hornets trailed 30-7 early in the second quarter but chipped away to beat the Spurs, who had won six straight games and 14 of their previous 15 and were coming off a huge win over Golden State on Saturday.
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 19 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Cavaliers 124, Nuggets 91
CLEVELAND — LeBron James had 33 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Cavaliers clinched the Central Division title.
Cleveland (50-20) sealed the fifth division title in team history and also secured its ninth 50-win season.
James registered his second triple-double of the season and the 41st of his career.
Cavs forward Channing Frye scored 14 points as a replacement for Kevin Love, who did not play because he was ill.
Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic each scored 11 points for the Nuggets, whose starters totaled 33 points — the same figure James totaled by himself.
Celtics 107, Magic 96
BOSTON — The scoring of Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and Evan Turner drove the Celtics to their second win in 24 hours.
After ending a four-game losing streak with a win at Philadelphia on Sunday, the Celtics handed the Magic their 11th consecutive regular-season loss at TD Garden, their 12th in a row counting playoffs.
Thomas, recording his 10th straight 20-point game, scored 28 points and added seven assists and five rebounds. Olynyk scored 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Bradley also scored 22 and grabbed nine rebounds, and Turner posted 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Magic, which lost for the eighth time in 10 games, were led by Victor Oladipo, who had 18 points.
Pacers 91, 76ers 75
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George led a balanced attack with 15 points, as all five Pacers starters scored in double figures.
The Pacers improved to 14-0 this season when the opponent fails to reach 90 points. Indiana also ensured its 27th consecutive season with a winning record in home games.
Hollis Thompson and Isaiah Canaan each scored 15 for Philadelphia, which lost its sixth in a row.
Pistons 92, Bucks 91
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Andre Drummond’s tip-in during the final second gave Detroit the victory.
Drummond’s putback of a missed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope jumper gave the Pistons (37-34) their third consecutive victory. Milwaukee’s Jerryd Bayless missed two free throws prior to Drummond’s game-winner.
Marcus Morris had 21 points for Detroit and Drummond contributed his league-high 58th double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Khris Middleton scored a game-high 27 points for the Bucks, who lost their third straight.