By ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 21 points, including the decisive 7-foot bank shot with 6.1 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers won three straight games for the first time this season, beating the Boston Celtics, 98-96, on Monday night, Jan. 12.
Boston’s Derrick White missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt in the final seconds. He had tied the game at 96-all on a driving layup with 28.6 seconds remaining.
Siakam pump-faked and stepped inside the foul line for the high-arcing leaner that banked through in the final seconds. He also had eight rebounds and six assists.
The Pacers began the night with the NBA’s worst record but improved to 9-31, one-half game better than the New Orleans Pelicans. They were without forward Bennedict Mathurin (17.8 points per game), sidelined by a thumb injury for a fifth consecutive game.
Jay Huff had 20 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Pacers.
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points and eight assists. White had 18 points and Anfernee Simons 16.
The Celtics didn’t have leading scorer Jaylen Brown, who sat out with lower back spasms and earlier Monday was fined $35,000 for criticizing referees. Brown’s 29.5-point average ranks sixth in the NBA.
This was the start of a four-game trip for the Celtics, who are third in the Eastern Conference at 24-15.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and James Harden had 32 to move into ninth place on the NBA’s career scoring list, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets, 117-109, for their fourth win in five games.
Jordan Miller added 14 points and Ivica Zubac had nine points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.
LaMelo Ball had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the Hornets in their third loss in four games. Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, Moussa Diabaté had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Brandon Miller also scored 13 and Miles Bridges 11.
Harden, who began the night 14 points behind Shaquille O’Neal’s 28,596 points for ninth, had 13 in the first half and then moved ahead on a 3-pointer early in the third quarter.
After Tre Mann’s 3-pointer gave Charlotte a 100-99 lead with 7:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, Harden scored eight points during a 15-1 run that gave Los Angeles a 13-point lead 4:02 later.
The Hornets followed with six consecutive point to pull to 114-107 with 1:22 to go, but that was as close as they got.
Leonard scored 20 points with five 3-pointers in the third quarter for the Clippers. Harden made two free throws and a layup, and Leonard hit a 3 for a 73-64 advantage. Ball scored seven consecutive points as Charlotte pulled one point behind with 2:21 left in the quarter and took the lead twice before Miller’s layup just before the buzzer gave Los Angeles an 86-84 lead heading to the fourth.
Harden scored 11 points while playing the entire first quarter. He shot 3 for 7 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. Harden then had two points in the second quarter on 1-for-7 shooting as the Clippers took a 45-43 lead at the break. Leonard had 10 points in the half.
