PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker made a mid-range jumper with 2.4 seconds remaining to lift the Phoenix Suns over the Milwaukee Bucks 108-106 for their fourth straight win. It’s a crucial victory for the Suns, who stayed in the final position for the Western Conference play-in tournament. Kevin Durant scored 38 points, while Booker added 19, including the clutch 20-foot jumper after catching the in-bounds pass in the final moments. Brook Lopez missed a turnaround jumper at the buzzer that could have tied it, ending a frantic final stretch. Milwaukee was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 31 points.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton finished with 24 points and 11 assists, and Obi Toppin made six 3-pointers and added 20 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-103. The Pacers have won five straight and seven of eight to stay ahead of Milwaukee in the chase for the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed. Indiana made nine of its 13 3s in the third quarter to build an insurmountable 95-73 lead. Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 20 points. Minnesota has lost three of its last four.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has hired Colorado State’s Niko Medved as its next coach. The native of the Twin Cities area and former student manager for the Gophers had the Rams within one basket of the Sweet 16. Colorado State hit the 25-win mark and made the NCAA Tournament three times in Medved’s seven seasons. He was 143-85 with the Rams for the second-best winning percentage in program history. Medved was the front-runner for the Minnesota job from the start. His predecessor Ben Johnson was fired after going 56-71 overall and 22-57 in the Big Ten Conference over four years on the job.
DALLAS (AP) — Jake Oettinger shut out his home-state team stopping 32 shots, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene scored 58 seconds apart late in the second period and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Monday night. Oettinger, who grew up about 20 miles south of the Twin Cities in Lakeville, Minnesota, is 7-0-2 in regular-season play against the Wild and has an eight-game home winning streak beginning in late January. Mason Marchment added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for the Wild. Roope Hintz had two assists.