Wednesday evening was very good for Montreal friends Bennedict Mathurin and Luguentz Dort.
Mathurin provided 20 points and the Indiana Pacers won 125-113 in Charlotte, improving their record to 7-6.
In Washington, in a game where Ontarian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points, Dort gave a nice helping hand with 16 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a three-point shot with 1.1 seconds on the clock, giving the Thunder the final lead (7-8).
Drafted sixth in June, Mathurin scored the Pacers’ first 10 points in the final quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 11 assists, leading the NBA in assists.
Indiana is 6-2 since Oct. 28.
The Pacers will play again Friday night in Houston.
In Washington, OKC ended a four-game winning streak for the Wizards.
Bradley Beal gave the Wizards a 120-118 lead with a mid-range field goal, with six seconds remaining. But with 1.1 to go, Gilgeous-Alexander hit the mark from beyond the perimeter.
The Hamilton athlete has provided 37, 37 and 42 points in his last three games.
Gilgeous-Alexander is fifth in the NBA with 31.5 points per game.
On the last play of the match, Dort did a great job of blocking Beal, who wanted to catch a long throw-in. The ball deflected off the field, leaving no more chances for the Wizards.
PHOTO NICK WASS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Luguentz Dort
Dort is averaging 17.2 points in five games.
The Quebecer was 3 for 6 for long shots on Wednesday.
For five games, Dort has a success rate of 46% in this aspect.
The Thunder will be back in action Friday night in Memphis.
Rookie of the year in 2021, LaMelo Ball of the Hornets injured his left ankle again – this by stepping on that of a supporter, trying to catch up with a lost ball.
An ankle injury caused him to miss the first 13 games of the season. It was a third meeting in 2022-23.
The Hornets’ record slipped to 4-12.