Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 on Friday night to spoil LeBron James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup.
Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 on Friday night to spoil LeBron James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup.
Marcus Smart had 22 points, and Dennis Schroder 21 to help Boston climb back to .500 at 8-8. Al Horford added 18 points, and Tatum had 11 rebounds as the Celtics earned their sixth win in nine games.
Anthony Davis led Los Angeles with 31 points, and James had 23 in 32 minutes. They each had six rebounds and two assists.
James finished with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting and six rebounds in 32 minutes after missing the Lakers’ previous eight games with an abdominal strain.
The Lakers went 3-5 while he was sidelined and they’ve lost their last four road games and are now 8-9 on the season.
Suns extend streak to 11 with win against Mavs
Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker each scored 19 points, Chris Paul added 18 points and 14 assists and Phoenix beat Dallas for its 11th straight victory.
The winning streak is the Suns’ longest since the 2006-07 season – and the latest victory followed a familiar pattern. Phoenix was just so-so for the first three quarters before playing its best basketball in the final 12 minutes.
Phoenix struggled at times with turnovers but made up for it with 14-for-29 shooting from 3-point range. Bridges was 7 of 7 from the field, going 3 of 3 on 3s.
Dallas has lost eight straight to the Suns. Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavs with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 18.
The teams played each other for the second time in three nights. The Suns won 105-98 on Wednesday night.
Warriors win without Curry in Detroit
Jordan Poole stepped up in Stephen Curry’s absence to score 22 of his season-high 32 points in the first half, Andrew Wiggins had 27 and Golden State beat Detroit.
Golden State started the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead and held on to win after Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Frank Jackson missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds.
The NBA-leading Warriors sat out Curry with a bruised hip, a night after he had 20 of his 40 points in a fourth-quarter comeback victory at Cleveland. They also were without Draymond Green because of a bruised thigh.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick, had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jackson scored a season-high 27 points.
Giannis double-double helps Bucks win wire-to-wire over OKC
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists and Milwaukee withstood Oklahoma City’s comeback attempt.
Milwaukee never trailed but nearly allowed Oklahoma City to come all the way back from a 20-point deficit.
Bobby Portis had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks. Khris Middleton added 16 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 17 points but shot only 5 of 20 from the floor and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc. Josh Giddey and Mike Muscala had 14 points apiece.
Harden leads Durant-less Nets to victory despite poor shooting night
James Harden had 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Brooklyn overcame a 19-point deficit and the absence of Kevin Durant to beat Orlando.
Durant did not play due to a right shoulder sprain.
In a vintage performance where he got the benefit of the refs’ whistle more often than not, Harden was 19 for 20 from the free throw line, whilst going 7-of-25 from the field. Patty Mills added 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter.
Rookie Jalen Suggs scored 17 of his 21 points in Orlando’s 41-point first quarter. Chuma Okeke and second lottery pick Franz Wagner added 17 apiece for the Magic.
Ball gets season-high for points as Hornets win fifth in a row
LaMelo Ball had a season-high 32 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists and Charlotte held off Indiana for its fifth straight victory.
Gordon Hayward added 25 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 to finish off a 4-0 homestand that included wins over Golden State and Washington.
Jeremy Lamb had 23 points for Indiana, and Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points. The Pacers lost all three of their games on a trip to fall to 2-9 overall.
Pelicans shock Clippers for third win of season
Jonas Valanciunas had 26 points and 13 rebounds and New Orleans overcame a 20-point first-half deficit to beat Los Angeles.
After challenging the Pelicans to “grow up” after they’d blown double-digit leads at Washington and Miami earlier this week, Josh Hart had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Brandon Ingram had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kira Lewis Jr. added 16 points to help New Orleans win for just the third time in 17 games this season.
Los Angeles star Paul George scored 19 points but missed five of six shots in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans pulled away. Nicolas Batum scored 12 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Terance Mann added 11 points each for the Clippers, who have now lost three of four.
Chicago beats Jokic-less Nuggets in Denver
Zach LaVine scored 12 of his 36 points in a pivotal stretch of the fourth quarter, DeMar DeRozan hit eight straight late free throws and Chicago won in Denver for the first time since 2006, beating a Nuggets team without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic sat courtside in a tan suit with a dark turtleneck, his sprained right wrist in a brace. He appeared to hurt the wrist on Thursday night in a lopsided loss to Philadelphia.
DeRozan finished 26 points, including a 12-for-12 performance at the line.
Aaron Gordon had a season-high 28 points and nine rebounds, Will Barton scored 23 and Facundo Campazzo recorded 16 for the Nuggets, who have now dropped three straight.
Siakam notches season-high points tally as Raptors beat Kings
Pascal Siakam scored 18 of his season-high 32 points in the first half and Toronto beat Sacramento.
Gary Trent Jr. had 23 points to help the Raptors end a three-game skid and win for the second time in eight games.
The Raptors, who were playing 24 hours after having been drubbed 119-103 at Utah, also saw Chris Boucher chip in with a game-high 12 rebounds and 10 points.
De’Aaron Fox had 17 points for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games.