Hawks stun Spurs in OT, McCollum lifts Lillard-less Blazers
The Atlanta Hawks outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, while Portland Trail Blazers who are without star man Damian Lillard beat the Minnesota Timberwolves thanks to C.J. McCollum.
Atlanta outscored San Antonio 14-12 in OT to win 114-112 in the NBA on Sunday as the Hawks snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Spurs.
McCollum posted a career-high 42 points to lead the Trail Blazers to a 95-89 victory against the Timberwolves.
There were also wins for the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.
BUDENHOLZER ENDS DROUGHT AGAINST SPURS
In his fourth season as Atlanta’s head coach, Mike Budenholzer had been 0-6 against counterpart Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.
But that changed on Sunday thanks to Tim Hardaway Jr and Paul Millsap.
Hardaway matched a career-high with 29 points, including a three-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining to force overtime in Atlanta, while Millsap had a season-best 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks beat the Spurs for the first time since 2010.
TRAIL BLAZERS RALLY
Portland were forced to dig deep in Minneapolis, overcoming a 14-point first-half deficit to overcome the Timberwolves on the road.
And they did so in the absence of star point guard Damian Lillard, who sat out a fourth consecutive game.
The Timberwolves were led by Andrew Wiggins and his 24 points.
HARDAWAY IS CLUTCH!
.@T_HardJR buries the clutch three to send this one to OT on #NBALeaguePass!
@spurs and @ATLHawks 100 all after 4Q. pic.twitter.com/BOokkXtGDb
— NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2017
.@CJMcCollum (43p/5r/3s) was on against the @Timberwolves!@trailblazers top the Wolves 95-89. pic.twitter.com/Wadvy6Km29
— NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2017
TURNER INSPIRS PACERS, PISTONS WIN
Myles Turner’s double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds helped the Pacers past the Orlando Magic 117-104, while the Pistons defeated the Miami Heat 107-98.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost 123-114 to the Toronto Raptors.
CAVS, WARRIORS AND THUNDER TAKE CENTRE STAGE
Defending champions the Cleveland Cavaliers face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, the Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder are away to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Los Angeles Clippers meet the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets take on the Washington Wizards.
