NBA roundup: Celtics rip Mavs wire-to-wire

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Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-93, wire-to-wire victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Jan 4, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reaches for the ball during the first half again the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum added 18 points and Marcus Smart had 17, including five 3-pointers, to pick up the scoring slack for Boston with leading scorer Kyrie Irving missing a second consecutive game with eye irritation. Gordon Hayward added 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

The Celtics also played without forward Marcus Morris, who hurt his neck after a scary fall during a Wednesday game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 20 points.

Boston was challenged only once, when its 53-36 second-quarter lead got whittled down to 58-57 early in the third. But after Mavs rookie sensation Luka Doncic drained a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, his 3-point attempt to grab the lead missed everything. The Celtics answered with a 21-6 run.

Knicks 119, Lakers 112

Kevin Knox gave New York the lead for good by sinking two free throws with 3:45 remaining, and the Knicks held host Los Angeles without a field goal for the next 2 1/2 minutes en route to a victory that snapped an eight-game losing streak.

New York’s Tim Hardaway Jr. led all scorers with 22 points, and he made three 3-pointers in a 22-5, game-opening flurry.

Brandon Ingram had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the fourth time in five games since LeBron James sustained a groin injury on Christmas Day. The Lakers announced before the game that James also will not travel with the team for games at Minnesota on Sunday and at Dallas and Monday.

Thunder 111, Trail Blazers 109

Paul George and Russell Westbrook combined for 68 points to lift Oklahoma City to a victory at Portland.

George scored 37 points and Westbrook added 31 as the Thunder snapped a six-game losing streak in their series with the Trail Blazers. Oklahoma City earned its third consecutive victory.

Damian Lillard finished with 23 points and eight assists, and Jusuf Nurkic collected 22 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who had won two straight.

Bucks 144, Hawks 112

All five Milwaukee starters scored in double figures, and the Bucks presented coach Mike Budenholzer with a resounding win over his former team, thumping visiting Atlanta.

The Bucks got 19 points each from Khris Middleton and Atlanta native Malcolm Brogdon, 16 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo, 14 from Eric Bledsoe and 10 from Brook Lopez. None of the starters played more than 22 minutes.

Atlanta lost its third straight game. The Hawks got 19 points from DeAndre’ Bembry, 14 points from Dewayne Dedmon, and 13 points and 10 assists from Trae Young.

Clippers 121, Suns 111

Marcin Gortat had season highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and visiting Los Angeles extended its head-to-head winning streak over Phoenix to 11 games.

Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams scored 21 points each, Tobias Harris and Patrick Beverley each had 16, and Montrezl Harrell scored 15 for the Clippers.

Devin Booker scored 23 points and T.J. Warren had 20 for the Suns, who dropped their fifth game in a row — all five at the start of a season-high, seven-game homestand. Richaun Holmes scored 16 points off the bench, and Mikal Bridges, Jamal Crawford and Josh Jackson finished with 10 points apiece for Phoenix.

Timberwolves 120, Magic 103

Jeff Teague’s return from an ankle injury boosted Minnesota to a win over Orlando in Minneapolis.

Teague was back in the starting lineup after a nine-game absence, and he had 23 points and 10 assists in 28 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota. Towns is averaging 28.3 points and 16.8 rebounds over his past six games.

Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 22 points and seven rebounds, and Evan Fournier added 21 points. Orlando has lost two of its past three and is 3-6 in its past nine games. The Timberwolves are 5-9 in their past 14 games but have now won four of their past seven.

Pacers 119, Bulls 116 (OT)

Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 36 points, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime, and visiting Indiana held on to win over Chicago.

Oladipo banked in the go-ahead shot to give Indiana its sixth win in a row. Domantas Sabonis contributed a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young (16 points), Bojan Bogdanovic (13) and Tyreke Evans (10) also scored in double digits.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 31 points. Lauri Markkanen added 27 points and nine rebounds and Kris Dunn finished with 16 points and 17 assists for Chicago, which dropped its third in a row. LaVine drilled a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force OT, and he sank another that could have tied the game at the end of overtime, but it came just after the buzzer.

Heat 115, Wizards 109

Hassan Whiteside posted 21 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks, leading host Miami to a win over Washington. Whiteside helped the Heat enjoy a 62-46 edge in paint points.

Bradley Beal, who scored a game-high 33 points, closed the Wizards’ deficit to 110-109 on a 3-pointer with 67 seconds left. Beal added nine rebounds and seven assists in a stellar all-around effort.

Miami’s Justise Winslow, converted from forward to point guard a couple of weeks ago when 2018 All-Star Goran Dragic had knee surgery, had a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 assists.

Nets 109, Grizzlies 100

D’Angelo Russell totaled 23 points and 10 assists as visiting Brooklyn made enough plays down the stretch to record a victory over slumping Memphis.

Russell shot 7 of 16 from the floor, and he amassed at least 20 points and 10 assists in consecutive games for the first time in his career. He became the first Net to get at least 20 points and 10 assists in consecutive games since Deron Williams in the 2012-13 season.

Mike Conley led all scorers with 31 points after going scoreless for the first time in more than three years on Wednesday in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. Conley shot 10 of 20, but his performance was not enough as Memphis lost its fourth straight and fell for the 11th time in 14 games.

Jazz 117, Cavaliers 91

Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points and Jae Crowder tallied 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as Utah notched a victory over host Cleveland. Ricky Rubio added 15 points while Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles had 12 apiece for the Jazz, who snapped a six-game losing streak in Cleveland.

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Dante Exum had 11 points as Kyle Korver and Derrick Favors each scored 10 points. Gobert (five) and Favors (three) combined for eight of Utah’s nine blocked shots.

Alec Burks scored 17 points for the Cavaliers, who dropped their eighth consecutive game and their 10 in their past 11.

—Field Level Media

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