Celtics earn emotional win over 76ers
LOS ANGELES — Gordon Hayward scored 26 points off the bench to lead the visiting Boston Celtics past the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 on Tuesday in a game full of playoff atmosphere.
Al Horford scored 23 points while Jayson Tatum added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak. All-Star guard Kyrie Irving sat out with an injured knee.
Joel Embiid had 23 points and 14 rebounds for his league-leading 47th double-double, and Jimmy Butler added 22 points and nine rebounds. Ben Simmons and JJ Redick scored 16 points each.
Trailing by three with 1.8 seconds left, Butler was unable to release a potential 3-pointer in time.
The Sixers had their two-game winning streak halted and lost their first game since acquiring Tobias Harris in a trade-deadline deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Celtics jumped out to a 2818 lead before the Sixers closed the first quarter with a 5-0 run to get within five.
Boston used an 8-0 spurt late in the second to take a 52-44 lead. Embiid knocked down a jumper to get the Sixers within 52-46 at halftime.
Horford, who received a technical foul early in the half, led the Celtics with 13 points. Butler paced the Sixers with 10 on 4-of-6 shooting.
The Sixers came out very aggressive on the defensive end, and it translated into a 20-4 run and a 64-56 lead midway through the third.
Boston later responded with an 11-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Hayward for a 67-66 advantage with 2:55 left in the third.
Horford hit two late 3-pointers before Butler came back and converted a driving layup at the buzzer. The Celtics led 77-74 after three quarters.
The Celtics made six of their first seven shots in the fourth quarter to go ahead 90-81.
But Embiid made a trey, and the Sixers sliced the lead to 92-89 with 7:01 remaining.
After the Sixers tied the game at 94, Tatum and Terry Rozier each connected on a 3-pointer for a 10094 Celtics lead with 5:17 left.
Embiid converted a three-point play with 2:11 left, and the Sixers regained the lead at 103-102.
Marcus Smart threw down a vicious dunk with 23.9 seconds left for a 108-104 Boston advantage, attacking Embiid — who had five fouls at the time.
HAWKS TOP LAKERS DESPITE LEBRON’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE
John Collins and Trae Young each scored 22 points and helped the Atlanta Hawks end their three-game losing streak with a 117-113 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
That offset a triple-double from Los Angeles forward LeBron James, who had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists. It was his fifth triple-double of the season.
Atlanta ended a five-game losing streak to the Lakers and defeated Los Angeles for the first time since March 4, 2016. The victory also ended Atlanta’s five-game home losing streak.
Collins scored Atlanta’s first eight points and had 17 at the half. He was 8-for-15 from the field and added eight rebounds and three assists for the game. Young was only 6-for-19 from the floor but made three 3-pointers and had 14 assists and six rebounds.
Atlanta also got 17 points and six rebounds from Taurean Prince and 12 points from Dewayne Dedmon.
The Lakers added 19 points each from Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, 15 from Reggie Bullock and 13 apiece from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo.
The Hawks used an 11-0 run in the first quarter and made 10 3-pointers in taking a 38-32 lead after one quarter. Atlanta cooled off in the second period, and Ingram, who had 16 first-half points, sparked the Lakers to take a 69-65 halftime lead.
The third quarter was close, with neither team leading by more than five. Atlanta took a 100-95 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
SPURS SLIP BY GRIZZLIES
TO SNAP LOSING STREAK LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Patty Mills scored a season-best 22 points as the San Antonio Spurs halted a season-worst four-game losing streak with a 108-107 win over the host Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.
Davis Bertans added 17 points and Rudy Gay recorded 15 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high eight assists as the Spurs improved to 1-4 on their eight-game Rodeo Road Trip. DeMar DeRozan scored 12 points and Marco Belinelli added 11.
Avery Bradley scored a seasonbest 33 points for Memphis in his second game since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jonas Valanciunas added 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting and collected 10 rebounds in his Grizzlies debut. Valanciunas was acquired from the Toronto Raptors in last week’s trade involving Marc Gasol.
Justin Holiday added 11 points and CJ Miles scored 10 for Memphis, which shot 49.4% from the field, including eight of 24 from 3-point range. —