NBA ROUNDUP: Jayson Tatum 3-pointer leads Celtics over 76ers, Ja Morant helps Grizzlies over Nuggets

Jayson Tatum hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining to lift the Boston Celtics past the host Philadelphia 76ers 110-107 on Saturday.

Joel Embiid appeared to send the game into overtime with a 75-foot three-pointer, but the ball was ruled in his hands when the clock ran out.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points, Tatum added 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Derrick White had 18 points. Al Horford made five 3-pointers for 15 points, Robert Williams III added 14 and Marcus Smart had 10.

After Tatum’s tip-in with 1:00 left, the Celtics went ahead 107-103.

Embiid was stellar with 41 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots for his 14th career game with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Jayson Tatum (0) hit a clutch 3-pointer to lift the Boston Celtics over Philadelphia 76ers

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston, putting up 26 points while Tatum grabbed 18 points

James Harden added 21 points, Tobias Harris had 19 and P.J. Tucker swept 16 rebounds, but the Sixers had their five-game winning streak snapped.

Harden and Embiid each hit two free throws in the final 46.1 seconds to temporarily tie the game at 107 before Tatum’s 3-pointer.

After Embiid had the ball stolen, Brown bolted on the fast break and hit a layup for a 95-85 lead with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter.

Harden capped an 8-0 run with a layup with 4:10 left and the Sixers trailed 97-95.

Embiid knocked down a short jumper with 1:45 left in the second quarter and Harris received a pass from Embiid and scored 16 seconds later for a 56-49 lead.

The Sixers led 56-50 at halftime thanks in large part to 20 points from Embiid.

Brown led the Celtics with 16 and Tatum had only four on 2-of-6 shooting.

Harris hit a jumper and added a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter for a 61-50 advantage.

Joel Embiid was dominant for Philadelphia – putting up a 41-12-5-3 scoreline in the loss

The Sixers kept the pressure on and went ahead 67-52 following Harden’s trey with 8:20 left.

The Celtics then tightened defensively and went on a 7-0 run to close within eight. White’s tip-in off Tatum’s missed free throw closed the gap to 67-59.

Horford hit four straight 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 78-77 with 1:17 remaining.

An 18-3 run gave the Celtics an 80-78 advantage at the end of the third.

James Harden put up 21 points of his own, but couldn’t push his team over the edge

GRIZZLIES 112, NUGGETS 94

Ja Morant had 23 points and seven rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies raced to an early lead and coasted to a 112-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night in a matchup of the Western Conference´s top teams.

Tyus Jones finished with 17 points, and Luke Kennard, Xavier Tillman and Dillon Brooks scored 12 apiece for Memphis, which trails Denver by six games in the conference race.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Jeff Green added 12 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Christian Braun each scored 11 points as Denver’s four-game winning streak came to an end. 

Denver was hampered by a 40% shooting game. The Nuggets’ starters were 17 of 47 from the field in the game.

Denver’s 94 total points was a season low.

Ja Morant (12) had 23 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies over the Denver Nuggets Saturday

‘One of the biggest priorities was transition defense,’ Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. ‘I thought our urgency was phenomenal.’

The matchup of the West leaders had Denver entering while playing well and Memphis struggling, dropping six of its last 10 games and losing its grip on the second spot as the Sacramento Kings rose to third.

But Memphis came out with more intensity and defensive pressure, a continuation of the Grizzlies first post-All-Star break game – a last-minute loss at Philadelphia.

‘They just played more physical than us,’ Green said. ‘They treated it like a playoff game. We didn’t. We came out lackadaisical. They got a good lead, and we couldn’t bounce back.’

Nikola Jokic put up 15 points and 13 boards, but the double-double wasn’t enough for a win

KNICKS 128, PELICANS 106

Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.

Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.

New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played Thursday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.

Julius Randle (30) grabbed 28 points in the Knicks’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans

HORNETS 108, HEAT 103

Gordon Hayward scored 21 points, rookie center Mark Williams had a huge game with 18 points and 20 rebounds – both career highs – and the surging Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 108-103 on Saturday night for their season-best fourth straight win.

LaMelo Ball had 16 of his 19 points in the second half and finished with 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dennis Smith Jr. each had 15 points off the bench for the Hornets.

Tyler Herro had 33 points on six 3-pointers and Jimmy Butler added 28 points as Miami lost its fourth straight. Kevin Love had 13 points and 13 rebounds in his second game since joining the Heat.

Gordon Hayward led the Charlotte Hornets with 21 points in a victory over the Miami Heat

JAZZ 118, SPURS 102

Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and recent signee Kris Dunn added 15 as the Utah Jazz rallied from a 14-point deficit and beat the struggling San Antonio Spurs 118-102 on Saturday night.

Markkanen sealed the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Walker Kessler recorded four of his five blocks in the final minutes. Kessler added 12 rebounds and nine points.

Dunn, playing his second game on a 10-day contract with the Jazz, was signed for his defense. He ended up being a playmaker and late-game scorer when the rest of his teammates were struggling.

Jeremy Sochan scored 22 points, Keldon Johnson had 18 and Zach Collins added 15 for the Spurs, who lost their 16th straight game.

Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points in Utah’s convincing victory over the San Antonio Spurs 

PACERS 121, MAGIC 108

Myles Turner scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 14 assists and the Indiana Pacers ran away from the Orlando Magic in the second half for a 121-108 victory on Saturday night.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Jordan Nwora had 18 for the Pacers, while Jalen Smith added seven rebounds and five blocks.

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 21 points. Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Markelle Fultz 18. The Magic struggled with their shooting, going 6 for 29 from 3-point range and finished the game at 38.9% overall.

Myles Turner (33) put up 24 points in a win for his Indiana Pacers over the Orlando Magic

RAPTORS 95, PISTONS 91 

Pascal Siakam had 29 points and eight rebounds for the Toronto Raptors in their fourth straight win, a 95-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points and Scottie Barnes added 12, all in the second half, as the Raptors won for the seventh time in eight games. Precious Achiuwa chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III piled up a season-high 21 points and 18 rebounds in his first game since fracturing his right hand on Jan. 2.

Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 29 points and eight boards over the Detroit Pistons