INDIANAPOLIS — Wesley Matthews tipped in a basket with 1.8 seconds left Thursday night and the Indiana Pacers rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-106.
Domantas Sabonis scored 26 points against his former team, and the Pacers won their second straight by erasing the Thunder’s lead in the final 15 minutes. Indiana’s magic number for clinching a playoff spot is one.
Paul George led the Thunder with 36 points in his second trip back to Indianapolis since a blockbuster trade in July 2017. Russell Westbrook added 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
George and the Thunder were in control most of the game.
Indiana crept back into the contest by closing the third quarter on a 16-5 run that included a 46-foot, buzzer-beating heave from Cory Joseph. They made it 88-83 when Sabonis hit the opening basket in the fourth.
After Oklahoma City steadied itself with an 8-2 spurt, the Pacers charged back. They tied it on two free throws by Sabonis and took their first lead since the opening minutes when Myles Turner’s dunk made it 102-101 with 2:50 to go.
MAGIC 121, CAVALIERS 91: Aaron Gordon scored 21 points, D.J. Augustin added 20 points and seven assists, and Orlando won at home.
Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. They won for only the second time in six games while chasing the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Collin Sexton scored 23 points for the Cavaliers, his fourth straight game over 22 points.
Eight Magic players contributed to 45.3 percent 3-point shooting, making 14 of 31 attempts.
RAPTORS 111, LAKERS 98: Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Norman Powell had 20 and Toronto won at home.
LeBron James scored 29 points and Alex Caruso had a career-high 16 for Los Angeles. The Lakers lost for the sixth time in seven games, further denting their fading playoff hopes.
Pascal Siakam scored 16 points and Marc Gasol added 15 to help Toronto win its ninth consecutive meeting with the Lakers, extending a franchise record. The Raptors have not lost to the Lakers since Nov. 30, 2014. They also set a franchise record with their 20th victory of the season against a Western Conference opponent.
Rajon Rondo scored 13 points but the Lakers failed to win back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 15 and 17, when they beat Chicago and won at Oklahoma City.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
WARRIORS 106, ROCKETS 104: Klay Thompson scored 30 points, DeMarcus Cousins had a season-high 27 and visiting Golden State snapped Houston’s nine-game winning streak.
Playing without injured star Kevin Durant, the Warriors bounced back after a loss to Phoenix on Sunday and avoided being swept by Houston after the Rockets won the first three meetings this season.
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