Rockets lose Paul, Heat escape with 101-99 victory
By TIM REYNOLDS
MIAMI (AP) _ Josh Richardson scored 22 points, Tyler Johnson added 19 and the Miami Heat held off the Houston Rockets 101-99 on Thursday night for their first three-game winning streak of the season.
James Harden scored 35 for the Rockets, whose five-game winning streak was snapped when Eric Gordon’s 3-point try at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced away. The worst part of the night for Houston, however, will likely be the loss of point guard Chris Paul in the second quarter to a strained left hamstring.
“It’ll be some time,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said of Paul, who will undergo an MRI on Friday.
Gordon’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds left got Houston within two, and the Rockets got a stop on a long ensuing Heat possession. Dwyane Wade missed, Hassan Whiteside got the offensive rebound and Wade wound up missing again, with the Rockets finally corralling the ball with 3.8 seconds left.
The last play went to Gordon, and his 3 _ Houston’s 54th attempt of the night from beyond the arc _ was off, and Miami escaped.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 15 for Miami, which got 11 from James Johnson and 10 from Wade. Gordon scored 20 for the Rockets, who got 14 from PJ Tucker and 10 from Danuel House Jr.
The Rockets set an NBA record with 26 makes from 3-point range in Washington on Wednesday, and connected on another 18 in this one. The 44 made 3s in a two-game span are second-most in NBA history over such a stretch _ Houston made 46 in a two-game stretch of the 2016-17 season _ and are the most ever posted in consecutive days.
But in this one, the Rockets needed one more.
Houston ran out to a 30-14 lead, one of two instances where the Rockets held an early 16-point edge, and never trailed in the first half. Miami took its first lead on a drive by James Johnson with 7:48 left in the third quarter, and eventually went up by 11 in the fourth.
From there, the back-and-forth began.
Houston went on a 13-1 run to take the lead, with Miami going about six minutes without a field goal. Harden _ who was shaken up midway through the fourth when he got hit on a drive _ capped the burst with a pair of free throws, and the Heat looked like they were in trouble at home yet again.
Tyler Johnson came up with a loose ball and made a layup to snap Miami’s field-goal drought, then blocked a layup try by Harden to keep the Heat on top, and added a 3-pointer for a four-point edge. And with 1:20 left, Wade used the same move he’s used for 16 seasons _ the shot fake on the wing _ to induce Gordon into a foul that he turned into two free throws for a 101-96 edge.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Houston led 45-38 when Paul went to the locker room. … If Paul misses any significant time, take note of this: Houston is 1-7 this season when Paul and Harden aren’t together, and going back to last season the Rockets have lost nine in a row when Paul isn’t on the floor. … Harden also had 12 assists, and was 15 for 18 from the foul line.
Heat: Justise Winslow (sore right ankle) didn’t play, adding to the injury woes of a Heat team that won’t have point guard Goran Dragic (right knee) for about two more months and still hasn’t seen the season debut of Dion Waiters _ who is nearing a return from ankle surgery. … Wade tried a jump ball against Houston’s Clint Capela in the first quarter, even though the Heat had two centers on the floor.
STREAK ENDS
Whiteside played 24 minutes and didn’t record a blocked shot, ending a 26-game streak going back to last season where he had at least one rejection.
KNIGHT HOMECOMING
Houston’s Brandon Knight was born in Miami and played his high school ball in nearby Fort Lauderdale. Thursday marked his first appearance in an NBA game at Miami since March 2, 2015. Knight didn’t play last season after tearing his ACL in a summer pro league game at Miami in July 2017.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host San Antonio on Saturday.
Heat: Host Milwaukee on Saturday.
Clippers snap 4-game losing streak by holding off Mavericks
By JOE REEDY
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Danilo Gallinari scored 32 points, Lou Williams added 26 and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 125-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Rookie Luka Doncic scored a season-high 32 points for the Mavericks and JJ Barea added 19. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 22 rebounds in his first game back at Staples Center against his former team.
Dallas trailed 89-82 at the start of the fourth quarter before scoring eight straight points to take the lead, with six coming from Devin Harris. That would be the first of six lead changes and four ties over the final 10 minutes.
Maxi Kieber’s jumper put the Mavericks up 109-104 with 5:14 remaining before the Clippers regained control with a 15-2 run. A pair of free throws by
Gallinari tied it at 111 and was part of a run of 12 straight points that gave Los Angeles an eight-point lead with 1:02 remaining.
Dallas, which has dropped its last four, made a late run to get within 123-121 but Tobias Harris made a pair of free throws to ice it.
Los Angeles led 32-30 early in the second quarter before scoring seven straight points. The Clippers would lead by as many as 13 late in the quarter before going to halftime up 65-54.
Dallas trailed 69-58 less than three minutes into the third quarter before it started to steadily whittle down the deficit. Doncic scored six points during an 8-1 run that got the Mavericks within four. Devin Harris’ layup with 1:14 remaining drew the Mavericks within 85-82 before the Clippers scored the final four points of the quarter.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: G Dennis Smith Jr. (right wrist sprain) missed his eighth game. . Doncic has scored 20 or more points in 16 games this season.
Clippers: Los Angeles was 27 of 45 from the field in the first half, including 15 of 24 in the second quarter. … Montrezl Harrell scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half.
JORDAN’S RETURN
The Clippers played a video thanking Jordan for his nine seasons with the franchise during the first timeout.
It was Jordan’s third game in Staples Center this season, but this was the first time it came against his former club. Jordan, who opted out of his contract with the Clippers during the offseason and signed a one-year deal with Dallas, holds the Clippers’ record for most games played, field goal percentage, rebounds and blocked shots.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he hopes the franchise eventually retires Jordan’s jersey.
“When you think of the LA Clippers you think of DeAndre,” Rivers said.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Visit Golden State on Saturday. Dallas won the first meeting 112-109 on Nov. 17.
Clippers: Host Denver on Saturday.