Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and made a key steal in the closing seconds, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
LeBron James was given the night off by coach Tyronn Lue as part of his plans to keep Cleveland’s starters fresh for the playoffs. The Cavs hardly missed their star until the Mavericks stormed back from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Dallas had several chances to take the lead, but the Mavericks missed two open three-pointers and had a costly turnover before Irving swiped a pass intended for Dirk Nowitzki with 2.9 seconds left. Irving was fouled and made two free throws before Dallas’ Deron Williams hit a three-pointer at the final horn to conclude a frenzied finish.
Photo: AP
Kevin Love had 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavs, who are 4-12 in games without James over the past two seasons.
WARRIORS 121, KNICKS 85
In Oakland, California, Stephen Curry scored 34 points as Golden State extended their record regular-season home winning streak to 50 games with a victory over New York.
Curry shot eight for 13 from long range and 12 of 20 from the floor overall before sitting out the fourth quarter with his team up big. The reigning MVP hit three-pointers on three straight possessions late in the first quarter and on two in a row at the end of the third as the Warriors improved to 32-0 at Oracle Arena this season.
Klay Thompson scored 19 points with five threes and Marreese Speights added 13 with three threes off the bench as Golden State (61-6) stayed one game ahead of the 1995-1996 Bulls’ pace in their record 72-win season.
Carmelo Anthony had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Knicks.
WIZARDS 117, BULL 96
In Washington, finally playing as if their chance at a playoff berth was on the line, which it is, Washington picked up their second consecutive lopsided victory over a team just ahead of them in the standings, beating Derrick Rose’s Chicago behind John Wall’s triple-double.
Wall, an All-Star point guard, produced 29 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, outplaying Rose, who returned after missing two games with a strained left groin and finished with 16 points and four assists.
Wall received plenty of help, including 20 points from Bradley Beal and 15 from reserve Garrett Temple, all in the first half, when he shot five for five on three-pointers.
Chicago’s Taj Gibson played only eight minutes and had three points.
THUNDER 130, CELTICS 109
In Boston, Kevin Durant had 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in just over three quarters, helping Oklahoma City cruise over Boston.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Enes Kanter had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who had lost six of their past 10 games.
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 29 points, and Tyler Zeller had 16. The Celtics lost their third straight after winning six of seven. It was their most lopsided home loss this season.
Durant has scored 20 or more points in 60 of the 61 games he has played this season, including 53 straight. He came out with just under nine minutes to play.
It was Boston’s second straight loss at TD Garden following a 14-game home winning streak.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Clippers 122, Rockets 106
‧ Timberwolves 114, Grizzlies 108
‧ Hornets 107, Magic 99
‧ Hawks 118, Pistons 114
‧ Pelicans 123, Kings 108
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Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
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