NBA-Highlights of Saturday's NBA games

Jan 31 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Saturday's National Basketball Association games: Pacers 109, Nuggets 105 (OT) Guard Monta Ellis scored a season-high 32 points, including a key three-point play in overtime, as Indianapolis slipped past Denver on Saturday. Center Jordan Hill finished with 20 points and forward Paul George added 19 points for the Pacers. Indiana led by one point when Ellis converted a crushing three-point play off a driving layup with 20.4 seconds left. Forward Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 23 points and guard Gary Harris added 18 points. Cavaliers 117, Spurs 103 Kyrie Irving scored 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the San Antonio Spurs 117-103. LeBron James had 29 points and seven assists and Kevin Love had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland. The win improved the Cavaliers to 1-3 against the best two teams in the Western Conference as they avenged a previous loss to the Spurs and went 0-2 against the Golden State Warriors. Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 for San Antonio. The Spurs were without center Tim Duncan (knee). Raptors 111, Pistons 107 DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points and Toronto extended its franchise-best winning streak to 11 games by holding on to defeat Detroit. The Raptors (32-15) were perfect on a seven-game homestand and have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Toronto's previous best winning streak was nine in 2002. Guard Kyle Lowry added 18 points for Toronto and guard Cory Joseph provided 16 points off the bench. Guard Brandon Jennings scored 22 points off the bench to lead Detroit. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points for the Pistons, who trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter before closing to within four in the final seconds. Warriors 108, 76ers 105 Forward Harrison Barnes sank a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left on the clock and Golden State escaped with the victory over Philadelphia in a meeting of the NBA's best and worst teams. Guard Klay Thompson scored 32 points to lead the Warriors, the defending league champions, who improved to 43-4. That equaled the 1966-67 Sixers for the best 47-game start in league history. Guard Stephen Curry added 23 points for Golden State, and forward Draymond Green finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Both of them committed seven turnovers. Guard Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points off the bench and Ish Smith had 16 points, nine assists and four steals for the 76ers (7-41). Philadelphia trailed by 15 before tying the contest. Pelicans 105, Nets 103 Guard Jrue Holiday made a three-pointer from the left wing with 9.3 seconds left and then drained a game-winning, fallaway 15-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining to lift New Orleans over Brooklyn. The score was tied at 100-100 when Holiday made his three-pointer over the outstretched arms of forward Thomas Robinson, but the Nets responded when Joe Johnson nailed a three-pointer from well behind the key to tie the score with 6.9 seconds left. The Pelicans called timeout and set up a play for Holiday, who dribbled to his right and fired up a fadeaway jumper that fell in to cap a 26-point effort. Grizzlies 121, Kings 117 Forward Jeff Green scored 29 points off the bench as Memphis held off a late charge by Sacramento. Center Marc Gasol had 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals for the Grizzlies, who led by 15 points with under nine minutes left before the Kings staged a charge. Swingman Vince Carter chipped in 13 points off the bench. Darren Collison scored 20 points to pace Sacramento. All-Star power forward DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, 14 rebounds) left the game with 2:02 remaining after injuring his left ankle and had to be helped to the locker room. Wizards 123, Rockets 122 Point guard John Wall had 19 points and 13 assists as Washington snapped a four-game losing skid by knocking off Houston. Rockets guard James Harden tallied 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds but missed a driving layup in the final seconds. Houston forward Josh Smith corralled the offensive rebound but was errant on his shot. Reserve guard Ramon Sessions scored 17 points and forward Jared Dudley added 16 for the Wizards. (Editing by John O'Brien)