Indianapolis
But trailing by one with seconds ticking away, the Celtics didn’t get the whistle they wanted.
Instead, they got the steal they needed.
Terry Rozier turned it into a go-ahead dunk with 1.5 seconds remaining that gave the Celtics a 112-111 victory over Indiana on Monday night.
Following an inbound pass with nine seconds left, Boston was attempting to trap Indiana’s Bojan Bogdanovic along the sideline. With 4.3 seconds left, Bogdanovic, who would have almost certainly been fouled had he simply held onto the ball, threw a high pass intended for Victor Oladipo near midcourt but Rozier intercepted it and had an open court to his game-winning slam.
Kyrie Irving scored 30 points for Boston, which trailed, 107-102, after Oladipo’s basket with 31 seconds remaining. Irving made a pair of 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds to keep the Celtics within striking distance.
Al Horford had 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum added 16 points and Smart had 15.
Hornets 109, Knicks 91
Charlotte, n.c.
Kaminsky didn’t miss a shot until the fourth quarter, finishing 10-of-13 overall and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers to provide a boost for a Hornets bench that has struggled so much lately that interim head coach Stephen Silas has shortened the playing rotation.
Rockets 120, Jazz 99
Houston
Thunder 95, Nuggets 94
Oklahoma City
Hawks 110, Heat 104
Atlanta
Timberwolves 108Trail Blazers 107
Minneapolis
Bulls 117, Sixers 115
Chicago
Spurs 109, Clippers 91
San Antonio
Suns 97, Mavericks 91
Dallas
