Nets Pierce Sacramento
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NEW YORK — Marcus Thornton scored 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter against his old team and Joe Johnson added 18 points, helping the Brooklyn Nets overcome an injury to Paul Pierce in a 104-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Alan Anderson had 11 points and Shaun Livingston and Deron Williams each scored 10 points as the Nets won for the fifth time in six games.
Brooklyn led by 16 points in the first half after losing Pierce to a right shoulder injury in the early minutes of the first quarter.
Sacramento trailed 49-40 at halftime and then opened the third quarter with a 17-8 run to tie the score at 57-all on a 23-foot jumper by Gay with 7:38 left in the period.
However, Brooklyn outscored Sacramento 47-32 the rest of the way.
Pierce got hurt with just under 11 minutes left in the first quarter when Sacramento’s Jason Thompson backed him into the paint and as he kept looking to post Pierce in the paint, he quickly spun around for a layup. Pierce felt the force of Thompson banging into him and clutched his shoulder.
After the game, Nets coach Jason Kidd said Pierce was day-to-day with a sore right shoulder. Brooklyn also lost Andrei Kirilenko in the third quarter to a sprained right ankle. Kevin Garnett has also missed the last five games with back spasms.
Bulls 95, Heat 88, OT
CHICAGO — Joakim Noah had 20 points and 12 rebounds, D.J. Augustin scored 22 and Chicago beat Miami in overtime after Jimmy Butler stripped the ball from LeBron James at the end of regulation.
Dwyane Wade scored 25 for Miami, but with James struggling again, the Heat dropped their third straight to match their longest losing streak of the season.
James scored 17 points on 8-of-23 shooting and couldn’t come through after Miami blew a 12-point lead down the stretch. With a chance to win it at the end of regulation, he was stopped by Butler on a layup attempt.
In overtime, it was all Bulls. Chicago outscored Miami 9-2, starting with Augustin’s 3 just under a minute in.
Noah also had seven assists and five blocks with his dad — tennis great Yannick Noah — looking on. Butler added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Lakers 114, Thunder 110
LOS ANGELES — Jodie Meeks scored 24 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Oklahoma City despite a triple-double by Thunder star Kevin Durant.
Pau Gasol added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the injury-ravaged Lakers, who had lost 29 of their previous 37 games. Meeks was 11 of 18 from the field and 14 for 14 at the line while becoming the third player to reach the 30-point mark this season for Los Angeles.
Meeks is averaging 19.2 points in 11 games since returning from a sprained right ankle. Before the injury, he was averaging 14.4.
Durant had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his third triple-double this season. Serge Ibaka had 21 points and 15 boards for Oklahoma City.
Raptors 111, Timberwolves 104
MINNEAPOLIS — Kyle Lowry had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his fourth career triple-double, lifting Toronto.
DeMar DeRozan added 25 points and seven rebounds and Steve Novak hit five 3-pointers for the surprising Raptors, who have won nine of their last 11 games to climb to third place in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto shot 58.3 percent (14 for 24) on 3-pointers.
Kevin Love had 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Nikola Pekovic added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has started a crucial four-game homestand with two losses in three games, and the team’s hopes of climbing from 10th in the West into the playoff picture are looking bleak.
Pelicans 111, Nuggets 107, OT
NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis tied his career high with 32 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots, and New Orleans erased a 16-point deficit to capture its third straight victory, this time in overtime.
Tyreke Evans had 20 points and Anthony Morrow added 14, including a 15-foot pullup in the lane that tied the game at 94 with 1 second left in regulation.
Davis’ free throws gave New Orleans the lead for good at 106-104, and his block of Ty Lawson’s driving layup prevented Denver from tying it with 1:14 left in overtime.
Davis became the first player in franchise history — going back to the club’s founding as the Charlotte Hornets in 1988 — to have as many points, rebounds and blocks in one game.
Celtics 118, Pistons 111
BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had 11 points and a season-high 18 assists, Jeff Green scored 27 points and Boston Celtics had its second-highest scoring output of the season in a win over Detroit.
Kris Humphries added a season-high 20 points, including two free throws with 25 seconds left to help Boston seal the win after the Pistons closed to 113-109. Humphries also led Boston with 11 rebounds.
Jerryd Bayless scored 15 points, Kelly Olynyk added 18 and Jared Sullinger 14 for the Celtics.
Josh Smith had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons and was one of three Detroit players with double-doubles. Andre Drummond had 18 points and 22 rebounds and Greg Monroe finished with 22 points and 14 boards. Will Bynum added 18 points off the bench for the Pistons.
