NBA 2024-25 roundup: Rockets edge Thunder in battle of top 2 West teams

VanVleet sank four free throws in the final 4.6 seconds as the Rockets squared the season series at a game apiece and closed to within a half-game of the Thunder atop the West.

Fred VanVleet of the Houston Rockets shoots against Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Fred VanVleet scored a game-high 38 points and Dillon Brooks nailed a midrange jumper to beat the shot clock and give Houston the lead for good as the host Rockets eked out a 119-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in a matchup between the top two seeds in the Western Conference.

VanVleet sank four free throws in the final 4.6 seconds as the Rockets squared the season series at a game apiece and closed to within a half-game of the Thunder atop the West. Brooks’ jumper with 33.6 seconds left followed a wild scramble and gave the Rockets a 115-113 lead.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 32 points while Jalen Williams added 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left that sliced the deficit to one. Isaiah Hartenstein added a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) while Cason Wallace tallied 14 points, including two 3-pointers to match 3s from VanVleet down the hectic waning moments.

The fourth quarter featured seven ties but the Rockets, who trailed 93-85 late in the third after Gilgeous-Alexander led a 16-4 run, didn’t take their first lead in the fourth until VanVleet hit a buzzer-beating 3 with 1:29 left.

Alperen Sengun (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Jabari Smith Jr. (15 points, 14 rebounds) registered double-doubles for Houston. Sengun added nine assists.

Spurs 127, Kings 125

Devin Vassell and Chris Paul combined for three 3-pointers down the stretch, Victor Wembanyama posted the third triple-double of his budding career and San Antonio came on late for a win over host Sacramento.

Wembanyama finished with game highs of 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Vassell finished with 21 points, Julian Champagnie had 19, Keldon Johnson supplied 17 and Paul chipped in 13 to go along with 10 assists for the Spurs, who won for the fifth time in their past six games.

Domantas Sabonis used 10 offensive boards as the foundation for a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double for Sacramento, which lost for the sixth time in its past seven games. DeRozan paced the Kings with 28 points to go along with eight assists and three steals, while De’Aaron Fox had 23 points and nine assists, Malik Monk totaled 19 points and Isaac Jones posted 12.

Clippers 126, Nuggets 122

James Harden had 39 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead Los Angeles to a win over Denver in Inglewood, Calif.

Harden hit six 3-pointers for the game and played all 24 minutes of the second half while Norman Powell flourished in his first game back after missing the past six due to a hamstring injury. Powell hit five treys and finished with 28 points in 25 minutes of action. The win was the Clippers’ eighth in a row at home, soured slightly by an injury to Amir Coffey, who had 13 points before limping off the court after knocking knees with teammate Ivica Zubac about midway through the third quarter.

Nikola Jokic posted 28 points, 14 boards and 11 assists to move into a tie for third place on the all-time triple-doubles list. It was Jokic’s eighth triple-double of the season and the 138th of his career, drawing him level with Magic Johnson in the record books.

Lakers 105, Jazz 104

Anthony Davis and LeBron James had double-doubles and Los Angeles survived a late rally by Utah to escape Salt Lake City with a victory.

Davis finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds and LeBron James scored 27 points with 14 assists to lift the Lakers to their second win in six games.

Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 22 points and John Collins scored 21 with nine rebounds in the Jazz’s fourth consecutive defeat. Walker Kessler had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Sexton netted 15 points.

Mavericks 137, Trail Blazers 131

Luka Doncic excelled in his return from injury with 36 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds to lead Dallas to a victory over host Portland.

Doncic was 15 of 24 from the floor after missing the previous five games with a wrist injury. He guided the Mavericks to their eighth victory in the past nine games. Quentin Grimes was 5 of 7 from 3-point range while scoring a season-best 28 points for Dallas.

Anfernee Simons scored 27 points, Shaedon Sharpe had 22 and Deni Avdija added 21 for Portland, which lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Grizzlies 136, Pacers 121

Memphis Grizzlies recovered from a disastrous opening quarter to defeat visiting Indiana for the Grizzlies’ sixth straight victory.

The Grizzlies placed seven players in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr., who had 25 points and eight rebounds. Memphis also finished with 30 or more assists (36) for the fifth straight game to tie a franchise record. The Grizzlies entered the game with averaging 30.4 assists to lead the NBA.

Indiana got 19 points and eight rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin. Memphis trailed by 19 early in the second quarter but recovered to outscore the Pacers 74-46 in the second and third quarters to enter the final period with an 11-point advantage.

Magic 100, Nets 92

Franz Wagner totaled 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while enduring a rough shooting performance as Orlando ran its winning streak to six with a choppy victory in Brooklyn.

Orlando won for the 12th time in 13 games and beat the Nets for the third time this season in a game that saw the teams combine for 60 personal fouls. Wagner shot 4 of 17 from the field but also made 12 of 14 free throws, including two after taking a shot across the face from Nic Claxton that resulted in the Brooklyn center’s ejection with 18 seconds left.

Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 26 points but appeared to tweak his ankle or hamstring in the final minute. Brooklyn also lost Ben Simmons to a bruised left knee. The Nets shot 38 percent (30 of 79) and missed 23 of 31 3-point tries.

Raptors 119, Heat 116

RJ Barrett scored 37 points and Toronto staved off a late charge by visiting Miami.

Scottie Barnes added 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Raptors, who gained a split in back-to-back games with the Heat after losing in Miami on Friday.

Tyler Herro scored 31 points for the Heat. Bam Adebayo put up 13 points and a season-best 20 rebounds. Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier each added 17 points.

Knicks 118, Pelicans 85

Mikal Bridges tied a career high with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 31 points as New York annihilated visiting New Orleans.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Knicks, who took control with a 23-1 first-quarter run. Jalen Brunson scored 16 points, Miles McBride had 13 off the bench and starter Josh Hart added 12.

CJ McCollum scored 13 points for the Pelicans, who have lost eight in a row and 14 of their last 15. Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi had 11 points apiece, while Dejounte Murray added 10 as New Orleans lost by at least 30 for the second time this season.

Cavaliers 115, Celtics 111

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 35 points, including 11 straight late in the fourth quarter, to propel Cleveland past visiting, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped.

After hitting three 3-pointers, Mitchell capped his surge with a floater that put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 103-101 with 1:07 left. Mitchell finished 12-of-21 from the field and made 6 of 11 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds. Darius Garland added 22 points and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, while Payton Pritchard supplied 24 off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his third game back from a foot injury sustained during last season’s NBA Finals.