Irving’s effort helps Celtics top Hawks
Guard nearly gets 2nd triple-double in a row in victory over Atlanta
Kyrie Irving just missed his second straight triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, Jaylen Brown scored 23 points with a key 3-pointer and the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-120 Saturday after blowing a 25-point second-half lead.
Marcus Morris had 19 points and Jayson Tatum 18 for Boston, which has won six of eight.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 26 points, John Collins scored 20 with 11 rebounds, Taurean Price had 17 points and Vince Carter scored 16. Shenendehowa graduate Kevin Huerter had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists for Atlanta.
Irving had his second career triple-double in a win over Sacramento on Thursday.
It could have been a costly victory for the Celtics after forward Gordon Hayward suffered a strained neck early in the game and didn’t return.
Jazz 114, Nets 98: Donovan
Mitchell scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert added 23 points and 17 rebounds, and Utah beat Brooklyn. Derrick Favors had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz. Jae Crowder and Ricky Rubio added 12 points apiece as Utah won its third straight game, holding Brooklyn to 35 percent shooting and finishing with a 65-44 advantage on rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points and D’angelo Russell added 20 for Brooklyn. The Nets dropped their second in a row after winning four straight.
Warriors 110, Thunder 88: Stephen Curry scored 33 points to help Golden State roll past Oklahoma City. Klay Thompson scored 23 points and Demarcus Cousins added 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Warriors. Many Oklahoma City fans hoped for the chance to boo former Thunder star Kevin Durant, but the league’s
No. 4 scorer sat out his second straight game for the Warriors with a sprained right ankle.
Spurs 108, Trail Blazers 103: Demar Derozan scored 21 points and San Antonio extended its winning streak to eight games with a victory over Portland, which lost C.J. Mccollum to a left leg injury.
Nuggets 102, Pacers 100: Paul Millsap hit a left-handed layup with seven seconds remaining, Nikola Jokic scored 26 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter for arguing and Denver moved to the verge of its first playoff spot since 2012-13.
Suns 138, Pelicans 136: Josh Jackson hit a tying 3-pointer with two seconds left in overtime, the Pelicans were assessed a technical foul when they called a timeout they didn’t have and Devin Booker hit the free throw to give Phoenix the lead for good. Booker finished with 40 points to go with 13 assists.
Mavericks 121, Cavaliers 116: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Dirk Nowitzki closed within three points of Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA scoring list and Dallas ended a seven-game losing streak.
Wizards 135, Grizzlies 128: Bradley Beal scored 40 points for the second straight night and Washington beat Memphis. Beal shot 12-for-17 from the field and made a career-high nine 3-pointers. The Wizards converted 17 of 35 from beyond the arc.