National Basketball Association Game Capsules
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – After being immediately hacked by James Harden from beyond the arc along the right wing, Carmelo Anthony flipped up an off-balanced 3-pointer off his back foot in the final seconds. It somehow went in. Referee Scott Foster, though, immediately whistled it a no shot. Harden had 36 points and nine rebounds as the Houston Rockets held off the New York Knicks, 109-106, on Thursday. New York trailed 107-104 with 5.8 seconds left when Anthony, who had an NBA season-high 45 points, got the ball along the right wing. Houston elected to foul right away instead of playing out the possession defensively. Anthony, however, didn’t get the continuation call. Anthony made both foul shots before Harden sunk a pair at the other end with 2.9 ticks to go. J.R. Smith’s desperation heave from midcourt then ricocheted sharply off the backboard as time expired. Jeremy Lin finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in his second return to the Big Apple. During the 2011-12 season, “Linsanity” became an overnight sensation when Lin averaged 18.2 points and hit several game- winning shots for the Knicks.
Final Score: Golden State 116, Oklahoma City 115
Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Russell Westbrook’s 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left gave the Oklahoma City Thunder their first lead in over 23 minutes. That advantage was short-lived. Andre Iguodala’s fadeaway right baseline jumper at the buzzer lifted the Golden State Warriors to a 116-115 win over the Thunder. Reggie Jackson’s driving layup with 36.2 seconds remaining pulled OKC within 114-112 and the Thunder regained possession when Stephen Curry misfired on a deep step-back jumper at the other end. Kevin Durant snatched the rebound and dribbled to the top of the arc. He was forced to give the ball away to Westbrook along the right wing several feet beyond the arc. With Klay Thompson playing back on him, Westbrook pulled up and rose above him for the Thunder’s first lead since the 11:35 mark of the third. Following a timeout, Iguodala received the inbounds pass along the right baseline and knocked down the tough fadeaway over the outstretched arms of Thabo Sefolosha.
Categorized in: NBA