BOSTON — Jared Sullinger scored 11 of his 17 points in the final 10 1/2 minutes and Jeff Green hit two crucial free throws as the Boston Celtics snapped their losing streak with a 101-98 victory Friday night over the Indiana Pacers at the TD Garden.
Green added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who snapped a three-game skid and reached the century mark against Indiana for the first time in 11 games. Unfortunately for Boston, prized rookie Marcus Smart had to be taken off on a stretcher after he suffered an apparent left ankle injury while stepping on Roy Hibbert during a drive to the basket in the third period.
Hibbert had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Indiana, which has lost five straight after an opening-night win over Philadelphia. Chris Copeland scored 17 points in his first start as the Pacers are off to their first 1-5 start since the 1996-97 season while playing without starters David West, George Hill and Paul George.
Sullinger started his barrage with a turnaround jumper in the lane that snapped a 77-77 tie, and drained a 3-pointer with 3:33 left that pushed the edge to 97-90. Hibbert hit two free throws with 58 ticks left to pull Indiana within one, but Green converted two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining after an offensive rebound, Avery Bradley knocked down a pair of free throws with 2.9 ticks left to rebuild a 3-point bulge and Gerald Wallace intercepted the sideline inbounds pass to seal it.
Solomon Hill capped a 17-0 run bridging the second and third periods with a 3-pointer and a dunk off a drive right down the lane to turn a 13-point deficit into a 59-55 lead just over two minutes into the third. Green knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the first half for Boston.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pacers G C.J. Miles, shooting 25.4 percent in the first five games — worst in the NBA among players with at least 50 shots — did not play due to a migraine. … The Celtics committed just 12 turnovers after giving it away 28 times Wednesday against Toronto — their most in one game since 1989. … All five Indiana starters had reached double digits in scoring with four minutes left in the third period.
Magic 112, Timberwolves 103 (OT)
Evan Fournier scored 20 points and rookie Aaron Gordon had six of his 17 in overtime as host Orlando won its second straight following an 0-4 start.
Tobias Harris finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds while Elfrid Payton had 15 points for the Magic, who won their seventh straight home game versus Minnesota. Nikola Vucevic recorded 14 points and Maurice Harkless chipped in 11 in a reserve role for Orlando.
The Timberwolves played the second half and overtime without star point guard Ricky Rubio, who left late in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. Kevin Martin led all scorers with 21 points while both Corey Brewer and Nikola Pekovic had 16 for Minnesota.
Gordon opened the extra session with a three-point play and Payton scored on back-to-back possessions to give Orlando a 103-99 lead with two minutes to go. Gordon’s 3-pointer moments later pushed the margin to seven points and Fournier’s dunk in the final minute helped seal the victory as the Timberwolves went over three minutes without a basket down the stretch.
Minnesota shot 53.5 percent from the floor and forced 13 turnovers to take a 52-47 lead into the break but there were six lead changes in the third quarter, which ended with the Timberwolves up three. Neither team led by more than four in the fourth and the only two points of the final two minutes were Vucevic’s tying free throws with 11.9 seconds left before Martin missed at the buzzer.
Bulls 118, 76ers 115
Mike Dunleavy poured in a season-high 27 points, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and visiting Chicago held off a furious late rally to defeat winless Philadelphia.
Jimmy Butler contributed 23 points while Pau Gasol added 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Bulls extended their winning streak to four games. Kirk Hinrich chipped in with 13 points and seven assists for Chicago, which saw an 18-point lead cut to one in the fourth quarter.
Tony Wroten led the way with a career-high 31 points and Hollis Thompson chipped in with a career-best 21 for the 76ers, who are 0-6 to start the season for the first time in franchise history. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 16 points and 11 rebounds while Henry Sims scored 16 for Philadelphia.
The 76ers led by as many as nine in the second quarter before Dunleavy scored seven in the final 4:35 to help Chicago pull even 57-57 at halftime. Dunleavy made two 3-pointers and Hinrich drained another as Chicago went on a 14-3 surge early in the second half to take a 71-62 lead.
Dunleavy scored five straight during another run as the Bulls stretched the lead to 92-76 going into the fourth. Chicago led by nine with 36 seconds left before Chris Johnson hit two 3-pointers and Thompson made another to pull Philadelphia within 116-115, but Hinrich made two free throws and the 76ers missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.