A reminder on The Horry Scale: It breaks down a game-winning buzzer-beater (GWBB) in the categories of difficulty, game situation (was the team tied or behind at the time?), importance (playoff game or garden-variety night in November?) and celebration. Then we give it an overall grade on a scale of 1-5 Robert Horrys, named for the patron saint of last-second answered prayers.
Reggie Bullock hit a running lay-up off an inbounds play as time expired and the Pistons rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Raptors 106-104, making a winner out of coach Dwane Casey in his return to Toronto.
DIFFICULTY: Casey called timeout with 2 seconds left and designed a play with Jose Calderon lobbing a pass to Glenn Robinson III near the basket. But Pascal Siakam swatted the shot out of bounds along the baseline. Detroit took the ball under the basket with 1.2 seconds left, and Calderon inbounded to a cutting Bullock, who calmly hit the five-foot fadeaway for the win.
GAME SITUATION: Kawhi Leonard tied the game at 104 with a jumper with 38 seconds remaining. Blake Griffin missed a jumper at the other end and Kyle Lowry grabbed the rebound, giving Toronto 10 seconds to try a go-ahead shot. Leonard brought the ball up but lost it out of bounds.
CELEBRATION: Bullock was mobbed by ecstatic teammates, while Casey raised his arms in triumph, pumped his fist, then ran onto the court to celebrate with his new team on the court he once called home.
GRADE: Considering the comeback and the buzz surrounding Casey’s return to Toronto, it was a signature win for the Pistons, who had lost six straight games to the Raptors. Revenge is a dish best served at the buzzer. Four Horrys.
LeBron passes Chamberlain
With 44 points in the Lakers’ 126-117 victory over the Blazers, LeBron James moved past Wilt Chamberlain to become the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.
Fittingly, James passed Chamberlain with an old-fashioned three-point play. He drove in and hit a floater with 3:55 left in the game and got fouled. The ensuing free throw was James’ 39th point of the night and the 31,420th of his career.
James’ 44 points was the most by any Laker since Kobe Bryant scored 60 in the final game of his career.
Ahead of James on the NBA’s career scoring list are Michael Jordan (32,292), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).
Assuming James maintains his season scoring average (26.4 points) and doesn’t miss more than a few games, he should pass Jordan before the All-Star break.
Magic spoil Butler’s Sixers debut
Jimmy Butler had 14 points in his Philadelphia debut, but the 76ers surrendered a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Magic 111-106 after Terrence Ross hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds.
Acquired Monday from Minnesota in a five-player trade, Butler played 33 minutes and shot 6-for-12 from the field. After the game, Butler talked about playing with new teammates, saying he has “the easy job:”
Casey receives standing ovation
Raptors fans still have a special place in their heart for Dwane Casey.
Casey was welcomed back to Toronto with a standing ovation during the Pistons’ visit at Scotiabank Arena, their only trip to Toronto this season. Fans roared in approval when a video tribute was shown during the first timeout. Players from both benches also stood and applauded as Casey acknowledged the crowd with a wave.
Casey won 320 games in seven seasons with the Raptors, more than any other coach in franchise history. He was selected NBA Coach of the Year after Toronto set a team record with 59 wins last season, but had been fired by the time he received the award. Casey was let go after the Raptors were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Cavs.
Stat of the night
Bradley Beal drilled his 900th career 3-pointer in the first quarter, and in doing so became the youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark, passing J.R. Smith.
