Mar 4, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson (23) shoots the game winning shot in the closing seconds of the game against the New York Knicks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
March 5, 2022
Cameron Johnson capped the best game of his career by hitting a long 3-pointer as time expired Friday night to complete Phoenix’s 14-point, fourth-quarter comeback as the host Suns edged the New York Knicks 115-114.
New York was up by two with 7.1 seconds remaining when Alec Burks hit his first free throw but missed badly on the second. Phoenix grabbed the rebound and worked the ball up top to Johnson. who capped his career-high, 38-point night when his 31-foot bank shot went in, setting off pandemonium.
Cameron Payne finished with 17 points and a career-high 16 assists for the Suns, who were without Chris Paul (broken thumb) and Devon Booker (COVID protocol).
The Knicks, who dropped their seventh straight game, lost Julius Randle to a third-quarter ejection after a skirmish with Johnson. The New York power forward, who had a team-high 25 points, shoved aside an official and pushed Johnson.
Bucks 118, Bulls 112
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his sixth consecutive double-double as Milwaukee defeated Chicago for its third win in a row.
The two-time MVP poured in a game-high 34 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Jrue Holiday added 26 points and eight rebounds, and Khris Middleton notched 22 points for the Bucks.
Zach LaVine paced the Bulls with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. DeMar DeRozan tallied 29 points, and Nikola Vucevic supplied 19 along with nine rebounds.
Pistons 111, Pacers 106
Saddiq Bey had 25 points, Cade Cunningham contributed 20 points and nine rebounds and Detroit rallied past visiting Indiana.
Down by six with 2:55 to play, the Pistons finished the game on a 12-1 run to win for the fifth time in seven games.
Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III supplied 18 points and eight rebounds, while Isaiah Stewart added eight points and 13 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon’s 26 points led the Pacers, who have alternated losses and wins over their past seven games.
Pelicans 124, Jazz 90
Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and host New Orleans dominated Utah from beginning to end to claim its fourth consecutive victory.
CJ McCollum added 24 points for the Pelicans, who led by 18 points after one quarter, by 27 at halftime and by 32 at the end of the third quarter. They led by as many as 37 on their way to increasing their average margin of victory during the winning streak to 26.8 points.
Donovan Mitchell scored 14 points and Hassan Whiteside had 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jazz, who saw their three-game winning streak end in the third game of a five-game road trip.
76ers 125, Cavaliers 119
Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, James Harden added 25 points and 11 assists and host Philadelphia defeated Cleveland.
The Sixers improved to 4-0 with Harden in the lineup and won their fifth in a row overall.
Joel Embiid had 22 points and nine rebounds, Georges Niang scored 17 points off the bench and Tobias Harris contributed 15. Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 26 points and 19 assists, Isaac Okoro scored 22 points, and Cedi Osman and Jarrett Allen had 20 each.
Hawks 117, Wizards 114
De’Andre Hunter matched his season high with 26 points and Trae Young scored 25 to lead Atlanta past host Washington.
Atlanta stretched its lead over Washington for one of the final playoff spots to 2 1/2 games. Washington cut Atlanta’s lead from 11 with about five minutes left to one point when Raul Neto made a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left. Young made two free throws, but Kyle Kuzma missed a desperation 47-foot 3-pointer.
Washington’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 28 and was 6 for 6 on 3s. Kuzma added 22 points and 11 assists, and Rui Hachimura scored 19 points.
Magic 103, Raptors 97
Cole Anthony had 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Orlando ended a nine-game losing streak to host Toronto.
Jalen Suggs also scored 15 points and Mo Bamba added 14 for the Magic, who had seven players score in double figures. Orlando has won three of its last four games overall.
Pascal Siakam had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost two in a row. Malachi Flynn added 20 points, Precious Achiuwa 11 and Scottie Barnes 10.
Timberwolves 138, Thunder 101
Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid scored 20 points each to lead Minnesota to a road win over Oklahoma City.
The Timberwolves came into the game with the highest-scoring road offense in the NBA, and they did it again on Friday. Six players scored 15 or more points for Minnesota, which won its third consecutive game.
The Timberwolves exploded in the second period, shooting 72.7 percent from the floor (16 of 22), to score 45 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in yet another big game for the Thunder, scoring a game-high 33 points on 14-of-21 shooting.
Nuggets 116, Rockets 101
DeMarcus Cousins produced a season-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds as host Denver sent Houston to its 12th consecutive loss.
Jeff Green and JaMychal Green scored 14 points each for Denver, which played without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (non-COVID illness). The Nuggets won for the seventh time in eight games.
Will Barton scored 11 points, including two 3-pointers. His second trey gave him 769 in his Denver career, passing J.R. Smith (768) for the franchise record. Christian Wood had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Jalen Green scored 18 points for the Rockets.
-Field Level Media
Source: One America News Network
