Boston’s Avery Bradley drilled a three-pointer as time expired as the Celtics rallied to stun NBA Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland 104-103 on their home floor on Friday.
The Celtics snatched the victory after trailing by five points in the final 20 seconds.
The Cavaliers, led by superstar LeBron James, had trailed by seven with four minutes to play, but they appeared to have gained control for good when guard J.R. Smith grabbed an offensive rebound off James’ missed three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining with Cleveland up 99-96.
Photo: AP
Cavs guard Kyrie Irving’s free throws gave Cleveland a 103-99 lead with 7.5 seconds left, but Smith fouled Evan Turner as the Celtics swingman drove for a layup with four seconds left.
Turner missed the free throw, but it was 103-101 when the ball went out of bounds off the Cavaliers, leaving the Celtics with possession and one final shot to win it.
Bradley connected from the corner over Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert, silencing the sellout crowd and handing the Cavaliers just their fourth home defeat of the season.
“I knew it was there,” Bradley said. “It’s a great feeling.”
James scored 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough on a night the Cavaliers lost forward Kevin Love to a bruised left thigh.
All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points, while Turner had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists off the bench for the Celtics, who squandered a 92-85 lead with 3 minutes, 18 seconds left before rallying.
It was a second straight defeat for the Cavaliers, two nights after they fell to the Hornets in Charlotte.
“It’s how we lost,” James said. “It hurts. It’s been a while since I felt like this.”
Irving was more philosophical in defeat.
“There were more than a few mental mistakes going down in those last final seconds until that buzzer went off,” Irving said. “It was just a few bad bounces that obviously can be corrected by us.”
CLIPPERS 107, MAGIC 93
Chris Paul scored 21 points, while Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick each had 20, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-93 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
The Clippers (33-17) led from start to finish to win for the fifth time in the past six games.
The Magic (21-28) continued their downward slide, losing 15 of their past 17 games.
WIZARDS 106, 76ERS 94
Wizards All-Star guard John Wall registered his fourth career triple-double with 18 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a 106-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Washington guard Bradley Beal scored 22 points in his first start since Dec. 9.
HEAT 98, HORNETS 95
Chris Bosh’s driving layup with 23.5 seconds left lifted the Miami Heat to a 98-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
The forward’s basket and ensuing free throw put the finishing touch on a Heat performance that was powered by center Hassan Whiteside’s triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, and Dwyane Wade’s 22 points on 11-of-20 shooting.
Whiteside had seven points, four blocks and four rebounds in the fourth quarter to help the Heat outscore the Hornets 31-23.
HAWKS 102, PACERS 96
Atlanta’s Al Horford had back-to-back momentum-shifting dunks late in the third quarter and stayed hot in the fourth to fuel the Hawks’ 102-96 victory over Indiana at Philips Arena.
Horford finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He scored seven in the fourth quarter, but it was his pair of dunks late in the third that sparked the Hawks.
NETS 128, KINGS 119
Joe Johnson scored a season-high 27 points and handed out a season-high 11 assists as the Brooklyn Nets pulled away in the second half for a 128-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Brook Lopez added 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Nets (13-38) snapped a six-game losing streak and won for the third time in their past 19 home games.
GRIZZLIES 91, KNICKS 85
Jeff Green came off the bench to lead the Memphis Grizzlies in scoring for the fifth consecutive game in a 91-85 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Grizzlies forward deposited 16 points to give Memphis (30-20) their fifth win in a row and ninth victory in 10 games. Memphis reserve forward Matt Barnes added 12 points.
JAZZ 84, BUCKS 81
Rodney Hood scored 23 points and Derrick Favors had another big game as the Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to five straight with an 84-81 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Hood continued his strong year by hitting nine of 18 shots to help Utah improve to 24-25 and finish off the longest homestand of the season with a 5-1 mark.
NUGGETS 115, BULLS 110
Danilo Gallinari scored 33 points including a go-ahead jumper in the final minute as the Denver Nuggets rallied from 18 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 115-110.
Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay scored 22, while forward Kenneth Faried had a key put-back among his 11 points and 11 rebounds.
SPURS 116, MAVERICKS 90
The San Antonio Spurs handed the Dallas Mavericks one of their more humiliating home defeats in franchise history with a 116-90 victory in front a stunned sellout crowd at the American Airlines Center.
The Spurs put on a clinic from the start, reeling off a quick 16-4 run that snowballed into an embarrassing evening for the Mavs, who lost for a third consecutive game.
San Antonio led 27-12 after the first quarter and 62-26 at halftime behind the power of a 53-18 run.
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