Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the winners against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers won 104-102. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports
DPA/Los Angeles
The Indiana Pacers’ bench brigade stood up and delivered when the starters were given the night off. Chris Copeland hit the go-ahead layup with 1.2 seconds remaining, lifting the visiting Pacers to a thrilling 104-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
In an effort to shake his weary club out of a late-season slump, Pacers coach Frank Vogel rested all five of his starters.
“It gives the reserves an opportunity to get out and strut their stuff a little bit,” said Copeland after an 18-point effort. “A lot of us have been waiting for that all year. So it was very cool for us to get out there and get a win and show the starters that we’ve got their backs when they need rest.”
The move paid off as the Pacers snapped a six-game road slide with just their fourth win in the last 12 outings overall. The victory coupled with the Miami Heat’s 107-102 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies lifted the Pacers a half game ahead of the two-time defending champions for the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers starters will be well-rested for Friday’s showdown at Miami.
Argentine Luis Scola and Evan Turner paced Indiana with season-highs of 24 points and 23 points, respectively.
The Pacers led 102-99 but Khris Middleton made all three free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining that knotted the contest after drawing a foul on Ian Mahinmi while attempting a 3-pointer.
Copeland got the ball out of timeout at the top of the arc, drove the right side of the lane and dropped in the floater for the difference-maker.
He was mobbed at mid-court by his delirious teammates after the Bucks missed a desperation shot at the final buzzer. Brandon Knight led the league-worst Bucks with 25 points and Ramon Sessions finished with 20.
Grizzlies 107, Miami Heat 102
Mike Conley scored 26 points, Zach Randolph had 25 with 11 rebounds, and the Grizzlies kept their playoff hopes alive after beating the visiting Heat for their 12th straight home win. LeBron James had 37 points for Miami, which has dropped three of its last four contests.
Suns 94, Pelicans 88
Gerald Green tallied 21 points, Slovenia’s Goran Dragic added 20 with nine assists, and the visiting Suns remained a game up on Memphis for the final spot in the West playoff race after trimming the Pelicans.
City Thunder 107, LA Clippers 101
Russell Westbrook scored 30 points, Kevin Durant added 27, and the visiting Thunder took a 2.5 game lead over the Clippers for the second playoff seed in the West.
Blake Griffin topped the Clippers with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Chris Paul scored 25.
Raptors 125, 76ers 114
Kyle Lowry scored 29 points, Jonas Valanciunas added a career-high 26 with 12 rebounds, as the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors swept the season series from visiting Sixers.
Magic 115, Brooklyn Nets 111
Arron Afflalo scored 25 points and Kyle O’Quinn blocked Joe Johnson potential-game tying triple with 13.6 seconds remaining, as the hosting Magic held off the playoff-bound Nets.
Bobcats 94, Wizards 88 (OT)
Al Jefferson had 20 points with 18 rebounds, and the visiting Bobcats’ fifth straight win pushed them past the Wizards for the sixth playoff seed in the East despite John Wall’s third career triple-double of 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Bulls 102, Timberwolves 87
D.J. Augustin’s tossed in 21 points, Joakim Noah had 15 with 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season, leading the playoff-bound Bulls past the hosting T-Wolves for their sixth straight win.
Nuggets 123, Rockets 116
Randy Foye fired in 24 of his 30 points in the second half, including the game-sealing jumper with 1:39 left to go along with 15 assists, as the hosting Nuggets held off the playoff-bound Rockets.
Trail Blazers 100, Kings 99
Dorell Wright drilled the game-winning 3-pointer from the left corner with 7.9 seconds left, lifting the playoff-bound Trail Blazers over the visiting Kings, who wasted DeMarcus Cousins’ 30-point, 12-rebound effort.
Cavaliers 122, Pistons 100
Dion Waiters scored 22 points, Australian Matthew Dellavedova had 14 with a career-high 12 assists, and the Cavs crushed the visiting Pistons but were eliminated from the post-season play.
Hawks 105, Boston Celtics 97
Jeff Teague scored 19 points, Paul Millshap had 14, and the Hawks moved two games ahead of New York for the eight playoff seed in the East after sending the Celtics to their 13th straight loss.