Celtics claw back vs Hawks, extend streak to 15
Warriors rally 24-point defict to subdue Sixers harden, cp3 fuel Rockets' conquest of Grizzlies
Brad Stevens, unsatisfied in the best of times, had the following take on the winning streak his Boston Celtics team carried into Atlanta on Saturday night.
“We haven’t played well enough to consider this win streak to be valid in my opinion. We’ve figured out ways to win games. We gotta play a lot better.”
In the meantime, they seem to have mastered the task of figuring out ways to win when it seems unlikely.
The Celtics have come back from 18 points down twice and from 17 points down once during a winning streak that reached 15 in a row on a 110-99 win over the Hawks. And with this victory, Stevens’ team added overcoming a 16-point deficit, which is the first-quarter hole they climbed out of against Atlanta.
Jaylen Brown, mourning the loss of his best friend Trevin Steede, followed up a 22-point performance against Golden State with 27 points against Atlanta on 10-for-13 shooting.
Brown and the rest of the Celtics also had significant support in the seats around them with a loud and well-distributed helping of green-clad fans, who chanted M-V-P for Kyrie Irving down the stretch, as he scored his team’s last seven points on his way to 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting.
Jayson Tatum had all of his 14 points in the third quarter, including the Celtics’ last 10 in that stanza. After a scoreless first half by the rookie, he was the force behind an 80-77 lead at the start of the fourth.
The Celtics regained the lead three times over the first 5:25 of the fourth, the third on an Al Horford post move for an 87-86 edge. From there, the Celtics carved out a little space with an off-balance drive by Brown for a three-point play, followed by a pair of Irving free throws for a 92-86 lead.
After an Atlanta jumper, Irving rolled in a deep three-pointer with 4:35 left, and with 4:06 on the clock Marcus Morris hit two free throws for a 97-89 lead.
Another Irving three from deep in the left corner pushed the lead to 106-97 and sealed the victory. (Boston Herald/TNS)
Warriors 124, 76ers 116
Steph Curry scored 35 points, Kevin Durant added 27 and Golden State rallied from a 22-point halftime deficit for a conquest of Philadelphia.
Curry responded in a big way after a nine-point performance two nights earlier in a road loss at Boston.
Curry shot 11-of-22 and hit all nine of his free throws as the Warriors pulled off the largest comeback in the NBA this season by overcoming a 24-point deficit early in the third quarter.
Ben Simmons led the Sixers with 23 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds while Joel Embiid added 21 points. Robert Covington and J.J. Redick contributed 20 apiece, and Dario Saric had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Rockets 105, Grizzlies 83
James Harden scored 29 points as Houston beat Memphis.
Chris Paul added 17 and 13 rebounds in his second game back from a knee injury as Houston won for the seventh time in eight games.
Chandler Parsons led Memphis with 17 points while Marc Gasol added 15 and nine rebounds.
Hornets 102, Clippers 87
Kemba Walker scored 26 points, including 10 straight down the stretch of the fourth quarter, as Charlotte beat Los Angeles and snapped a six-game losing streak.
Jeremy Lamb added 17 while Dwight Howard totaled 16 points and 16 rebounds as Charlotte won by double digits for the second time this season.
Lou Williams scored 25 points and Blake Griffin added 19 for the Clippers, who dropped their eighth straight.
Mavericks 111, Bucks 79
Wesley Matthews hit six three-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points as Dallas routed Milwaukee.
J.J. Barea added a season-high 22 points and Harrison Barnes added 18 as Dallas won for the third time in 17 games this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Khris Middleton added 23 points in a losing cause.
Trail Blazers 102, Kings 90
C.J. McCollum scored 25 points as Portland defeated Sacramento.
Damian Lillard added 22 despite missing six of seven three-pointers. Jusuf Nurkic contributed 14 as Portland shot 54 percent.
Willie Cauley-Stein led Sacramento with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Jazz 125, Magic 85
Rodney Hood scored a season-high 31 points and hit seven three-pointers as Utah routed Orlando.
Derrick Favors added 25 points and 11 rebounds as Utah snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the second time in eight games.
Aaron Gordon scored 18 points for Orlando, which lost its fourth straight. The 40-point loss was tied for the worst home defeat in team history. (Reuters)