Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and the visiting Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 106-104 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to nine games, matching their longest of the season.
Reserves Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon added 25 and 23 points for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum (wrist), and the Raptors did not have Fred VanVleet (rib).
Boston lost two players during the game. Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) was helped off the court with 9.7 seconds left in the first half and did not return; Robert Williams III (knee) did not return for the second half. Each had two points. Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby (ankle) left the game during the third quarter and did not return. He scored 12 points.
Pascal Siakam had 29 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for the Raptors, who have lost three straight. Gary Trent Jr. added 22 points, Precious Achiuwa had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Scottie Barnes scored 10 points.
Cavaliers 114, Bucks 102
Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Cleveland beat visiting Milwaukee.
Darius Garland tallied 21 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which shot 55.8 per cent from the field. Cedi Osman and Caris LeVert scored 13 points apiece, while Jarrett Allen added 12.
Jrue Holiday led Milwaukee with 28 points and 10 assists, while Bobby Portis Jr. had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Pat Connaughton added 15 points, and Brook Lopez had 10 points and four blocks. The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness) for the fifth consecutive game.
Wizards 138, Magic 118
Rui Hachimura came off the bench to lead all scorers with 30 points, and seven players scored in double figures for Washington in its win over visiting Orlando.
Hachimura shot 13-of-22 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, matching his career high in points and setting the pace for Washington’s second-highest scoring game of the season. Of the seven Washington scorers in double figures, five shot 50 per cent or better from the floor. Kristaps Porzingis added an additional 17, Daniel Gafford scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma had 25 points and 10 boards.
Markelle Fultz led Orlando with 23 points and also finished with a game-high eight assists. Franz Wagner added 20 points, Paolo Banchero notched 15, and Wendell Carter Jr. went for 11 points and nine rebounds.
Timberwolves 113, Rockets 104
Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points and Minnesota rallied from a 12-point, second-half deficit to defeat reeling Houston in Minneapolis.
The Rockets committed seven of their 23 turnovers in the fourth quarter to grease the skids of their 13th consecutive loss. The Timberwolves, who have won eight of 11 overall, scored 30 points off those turnovers and improved to 7-1 at home this month. Edwards shot 17 of 29 and made 8 of 16 3-pointers. Nathan Knight scored a season-high 19 points with three steals off the bench, helping the Timberwolves overcome the absences of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 19 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, but he scored just one point in the fourth quarter. Jalen Green missed 10 of 13 shots and committed six turnovers en route to his 10-point effort.
Suns 112, Pacers 107
Dependable Mikal Bridges had 22 points and four steals, Bismack Biyombo and Josh Okogie made surprising contributions and Phoenix overcame the absence of four starters to defeat visiting Indiana.
Starting in place of Deandre Ayton, Biyombo anchored a strong defensive effort with a season-high 16 rebounds and combined with Okogie for seven blocked shots as the Suns limited the visitors to 37.5 per cent shooting en route to a second straight win to open a five-game homestand. Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points off the bench and T.J. McConnell a triple-double to pace Indiana, which dropped its seventh in a row and second in two nights.
Buddy Hield used a game-high five 3-pointers as the foundation for a 22-point night for the Pacers, who were without injured star Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana also got 16 points and a team-high 12 rebounds from Myles Turner, and 11 points from Jalen Smith.
Hornets 122, Hawks 118
Terry Rozier scored 34 points and hit three go-ahead free throws with 1.1 seconds left to help visiting Charlotte overcome a 19-point, second-half deficit and end Atlanta’s five-game winning streak.
Mason Plumlee had 25 points and 11 rebounds, while P.J. Washington scored 23, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the final three minutes.
Atlanta got 26 points from Dejounte Murray, 25 points and 12 assists from Trae Young and 25 points from De’Andre Hunter.
76ers 129, Kings 127
Tyrese Maxey recorded 32 points and six assists and Philadelphia withstood the absences of Joel Embiid and James Harden to end host Sacramento’s six-game winning streak.
Tobias Harris had 17 points and six assists before fouling out for Philadelphia, which completed a 5-0 road trip and won for the seventh time in the past eight games. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and seven rebounds and Georges Niang also scored 17 points for the 76ers.
Embiid and Harden both sat out with foot injuries, but it didn’t prevent Philadelphia from beating Sacramento for the ninth consecutive time. De’Aaron Fox had 31 points and nine assists for the Kings. Harrison Barnes made six 3-pointers and scored 27 points, and Kevin Huerter added 20.
-Field Level Media
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
