By ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND (AP) — De’Andre Hunter scored 32 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in overtime as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 133-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, March 2, to extend their winning streak to 10 and become the first NBA team with 50 victories this season.
The Cavs were down 18 in the third quarter before fighting back to win for the 14th time in 15 games. They did it without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who got some planned rest.
Ty Jerome added 25 points and Evan Mobley 20 for Cleveland, which was coming off an emotional win on Friday at Boston during which it erased a 22-point deficit.
Portland’s Deni Avdija had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. Anfernee Simons added 27 points.
After Simons’ 3-pointer with 44 seconds to go in OT put the Blazers ahead 129-128, Hunter, who was acquired by Cleveland at the trade deadline, drained his biggest shot since joining the Cavs.
Avdija missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left and Hunter made two free throws as the Cavs improved 28-4 at home.
Meanwhile, Jalen Williams had a career-high 41 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat San Antonio, 146-132, spoiling the Spurs’ homecoming following a momentous road trip.
Oklahoma City (49-11) won its third straight and moved a game behind Cleveland (50-10) for the NBA’s top record.
Rookie guard Stephon Castle had 32 points to lead San Antonio, which has lost five of six.
During their month-long excursion from the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs acquired De’Aaron Fox, lost All-Star center Victor Wembanyama for the season to a blood clot in his shoulder and Gregg Popovich announced he will not return as head coach this season.
San Antonio has been in a tailspin since, but put up a fight against Oklahoma City, literally.
The Thunder’s Kenrich Williams and Lu Dort were ejected along with the Spurs’ Julian Champagnie for fighting with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 22 points and Derek White hit a floater from the foul line with less than a minute left on Sunday to help the Celtics recover after blowing most of a 20-point, first-half lead and beat the Denver Nuggets, 110-103.
Jayson Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and White scored 17 for Boston, which has not lost three games in a row all season.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Christian Braun scored 24 for Denver, which has lost three of its last five games.
In Indianapolis, Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 27 points, Pascal Siakam added 20 and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Chicago Bulls, 127-112.
Nesmith, a fifth-year guard who returned in January after missing 30 games with an ankle injury, shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range. Three of those came in the third quarter, when he scored 13 points.
In Orlando, Immanuel Quickley scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and the Toronto Raptors held on to beat the Magic, 104-102.
Franz Wagner missed a driving layup for Orlando in the final second, enabling the Raptors to win after going without a score in the final 2:52. A backcourt turnover had given the ball back to the Magic with 4.7 seconds left.
