NBA roundup:
Warriors survive close call, edge Thunder
REUTERS – Stephen Curry scored 30 points, including the winning layup in the final second, to lift the Golden State Warriors to a 141-139 victory over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in an NBA in-season tournament game.
As Curry’s ball was going through the basket, Draymond Green made contact with the rim. After a lengthy review, Green’s contact was deemed “not to cause the ball to take an unnatural bounce” and the basket was counted.
Dario Saric added 20 points off the bench for the Warriors, who have won five consecutive games following an opening loss.
Luguentz Dort scored 29 points, making all six of his 3-point attempts, to lead Oklahoma City.
Elsewhere, Damian Lillard scored 15 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee Bucks beat visiting New York Knicks 110-105 in the teams’ first game of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points, Jae Crowder added 14, MarJon Beauchamp had 13 and Brook Lopez finished with 13 points and eight blocks for Milwaukee.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 45 points. Brunson hit a 3-pointer with 1:10 left to give New York its first lead since early in the second quarter, but Lillard scored the next six points as the Bucks pulled away.
Myles Turner went for a season-high 27 points, Tyrese Haliburton buried a long-range 2-pointer with 17.7 seconds remaining and hosts Indiana Pacers beat Cleveland Cavaliers 121-116 in Indianapolis to become the first winner in the NBA’s new in-season tournament.
Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 38 points to go with a team-high nine assists. He shot 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, but the Cavaliers were outscored 45-24 by the Pacers from beyond the arc.
Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds and hosts Denver Nuggets beat Dallas 125-114 in the in-season tournament opener for both teams.
Jamal Murray logged 18 points and 13 assists, and Aaron Gordon also scored 18 points for the Nuggets.
Luka Doncic had 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in his return to the lineup for the Mavericks. Dallas was without head coach Jason Kidd, who didn’t make the trip due to a non-COVID illness. Assistant Sean Sweeney served as the acting head coach.