Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night, Jan. 27.
Thompson hits game-winner as Rockets eke past Celtics
At a glance
BOSTON (AP) — Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night, Jan. 27.
Dillon Brooks shot 10 of 15 from 3-point range and led Houston with 36 points. The Rockets won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Jaylen Brown had 28 points for the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum added 19 after a scoreless first half. Luke Kornet had 18 and Kristaps Porzingis scored 17 to go with eight rebounds.
Rockets leading scorer Jalen Green was held to 12 points.
Thompson broke free off an inbounds play and went in for an easy dunk, pushing Houston in front 112-110. But after a timeout, Tatum got the ball near midcourt and drove in for the tying layup with 5.3 seconds left.
Brooks’ 10th 3-pointer gave the Rockets a 108-106 lead with 1:39 to play.
The Celtics easily won the first meeting between the teams in Houston on Jan. 3.
Houston coach Ime Udoka said before the game that forward Cam Whitmore was “sick and back at the hotel.”
Meanwhile in Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 26 points, Kevin Durant added 24 and the surging Suns survived a late scare for a 111-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns had a 103-90 lead with 5:06 left after Durant’s 3-pointer, but the Clippers went on a late 10-0 run, cutting the deficit to 107-106 on Norman Powell’s short jumper with 40 seconds remaining.
Phoenix’s Grayson Allen made two free throws with 10 seconds left for a 111-107 advantage, which was enough to close out the win.
The Suns have won nine of their last 12. Allen scored 18 off the bench while Tyus Jones added 17. Phoenix tied a season high with 22 3-pointers, making 46.8% of its shots from long range.
Ivica Zubac had 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers. James Harden added 24 points and 10 assists, while Powell scored 23 points.
Los Angeles trailed 60-47 at halftime, but erased that deficit less than seven minutes into the third quarter, taking a 66-65 lead on Kawhi Leonard’s one-handed jam. The Suns recovered to take an 83-78 advantage into the fourth.
In Charlotte, Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Hornets, 112-107, for their fourth straight win.
LeBron James had 22 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 17 for the Lakers, who never trailed.
Miles Bridges had 26 points for the Hornets, who lost LaMelo Ball in the second quarter to a left ankle injury after he stepped on Jarred Vanderbilt’s foot as he backpedaled down the court after draining a 3-point jumper off one foot.
In Salt Lake City, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 35 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 125-110 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Antetokounmpo also had 18 rebounds and seven assists, powering the Bucks to their ninth victory in 11 games. Lillard added eight assists, and Khris Middleton provided 22 points off the bench.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 19 points and nine rebounds. Collin Sexton scored 19 and Brice Sensabaugh finished with 17, including five 3-pointers.
In Dallas, Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 23 points in the first quarter, matching a Dallas record by hitting seven 3-pointers in the period, and the Mavericks breezed past the NBA-worst Washington Wizards, 130-108.
Thompson equaled the Mavericks record for 3s in any quarter, set in February 2022 by Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined since straining his left calf on Christmas Day. Thompson owns the NBA record for 3s in a quarter with nine, set in January 2015 during his 11-year run with the Golden State Warriors.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 20 points to match a career high for the Mavericks (25-22), who opened on a 13-2 run and led by 38 points before halftime.