Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) scores a three-point shot over Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) during the second half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, March 17, 2024.
(Reuters) — Luka Doncic scored 37 points and Kyrie Irving hit a left-handed floater at the buzzer as the host Dallas Mavericks withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat Denver 107-105 on Sunday, snapping the Nuggets’ five-game winning streak.
Denver (47-21) rallied from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit and led 105-102 before Doncic’s 3-pointer tied the game with 25.1 seconds left. After Jamal Murray’s shot on Denver’s final possession came up short, Dallas (39-29) called timeout to set up Irving’s game-winner.
Irving finished with 24 points and nine assists for Dallas, which recorded a season-high 22 offensive rebounds. Dereck Lively II had 14 points and eight rebounds, and P.J. Washington grabbed 11 rebounds.
Murray scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points, Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and Aaron Gordon scored 11 points.
Spurs 122, Nets 115 (OT)
Victor Wembanyama filled up the stat sheet again, racking up 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocked shots to lead San Antonio past Brooklyn in Austin, Texas.
Devin Vassell added 25 points and eight assists while Keldon Johnson had 24 points as the Spurs (15-53) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Cam Thomas led the Nets (26-42) with 31 points. Dennis Schroder added 19, Day’Ron Sharpe had 15 and Nic Claxton amassed 11 points and 14 rebounds for Brooklyn, which dropped its third straight game.
Heat 104, Pistons 101
Bam Adebayo made a 30-foot shot just before the final buzzer, giving visiting Miami a win over Detroit.
Duncan Robinson led Miami with 30 points and five assists. Adebayo finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Terry Rozier had 17 points and nine assists for the Heat (37-30). Leading scorer Jimmy Butler missed the contest due to a right foot injury.
Evan Fournier led the Pistons (12-55) with 18 points. Cade Cunningham had 17 points and nine assists, Simone Fontecchio added 13 points and eight rebounds and Jalen Duren paired 11 points with 10 rebounds.
Bucks 140, Suns 129
Bobby Portis matched his season high with 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting off the bench and his electric second-quarter performance helped fuel a stretch that gave Milwaukee a lead en route to its victory over visiting Phoenix.
Damian Lillard also scored 31 points as the Bucks (44-24) won without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a late scratch due to hamstring soreness.
Bradley Beal led the Suns (39-29) with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor. Former Bucks guard Grayson Allen scored 25 points and shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range to go along with eight assists.
Magic 111, Raptors 96
Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 29 points to lead Orlando over visiting Toronto.
Franz Wagner added 22 points for the Magic (40-28), while Moritz Wagner scored 14. Jalen Suggs collected
