DETROIT — Carmelo Anthony made a free throw for his 25,000th point, and although there was no real reaction from the crowd in Detroit, the Oklahoma City star slapped hands with teammates and raised his right hand with pride.
"It's a special moment," Anthony said. "To kind of know what it took to get to this point and the amount of work that was put in to get to this point, the teammates that I've played with over the years, and for me to still be at a point in my career where I still have a lot more to go."
Anthony became the 21st NBA player to reach the 25,000-point mark, and Russell Westbrook added 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to lift the surging Thunder to a 121-108 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Although it was a night of triumph for Anthony, Oklahoma City lost guard Andre Roberson to what looked like a serious leg injury in the third quarter.
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According to an ESPN report, Roberson ruptured his left patellar tendon.
Anthony scored his 25,000th point with 8:30 left in the third. He would add four more points and finish the game with 21. Paul George, who was named to the All-Star team Saturday, scored 26 points, and Westbrook was impressive throughout (see full recap).
Curry scores 49 in Warriors' win over Celtics
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry scored 49 points with 13 of those over the final 1:42 and hit eight 3-pointers, lifting the Golden State Warriors past the Boston Celtics 109-105 on Saturday night in what is already being hyped as a potential NBA Finals matchup come June.
Curry made a go-ahead 3 with 1:42 to play, scored on a driving layup the next time down before eight late free throws. He also made three of his 3s over the final 4:20 of the third quarter for the Warriors, who had lost the last two matchups to the Celtics and two in a row at home. The Warriors fell 92-88 at Boston on Nov. 16 in which they squandered a 17-point lead.
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Kyrie Irving scored 37 points on 13-for-18 shooting with five 3s, but Boston failed to build momentum from a win at the Clippers on Wednesday night, losing for the fifth time in six games.
Kevin Durant added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who haven't lost to the same Eastern Conference opponent twice in the same season during fourth-year coach Steve Kerr's tenure. Draymond Green had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Daniel Theis hit a 3-pointer to just beat the shot clock buzzer with 6:59 left that got Boston within four, then Irving connected from deep 70 seconds later. Irving's two free throws at 4:53 made it 92-91.
Magic rally late to beat Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — Victor Oladipo scored 24 points, Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 and the Indiana Pacers overcome a late 10-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 114-112 on Saturday night.
Indiana won its seventh straight in the series by closing on an 18-6 run over the final 6:15.
Aaron Gordon had 22 points, and Evan Fournier finished with 21 to lead the Magic, who had two chances to tie it and one to win it in the final seconds. But Gordon missed a midrange jumper and two free throws after an offensive rebound. And Jonathan Simmons missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
Orlando has lost two straight and 19 of 22. And this one might go down as the most difficult to fathom (see full recap).
Heat come back from 15 down to top Hornets
MIAMI — Josh Richardson scored 19 points, Wayne Ellington added 17, including a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to seal the outcome, and the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets 95-91 on Saturday night to snap a two-game slide.
The Heat trailed by 15 midway through the third, then outscored the Hornets by 19 the rest of the way.
Kelly Olynyk scored 16 points and James Johnson added 10 for Miami. The Heat went 4-0 against the Hornets this season, winning by five, six, one and four points.
Kemba Walker scored 30 points, and Dwight Howard finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Hornets (see full recap).