Celts snap 3-game skid
Walker tallies a season-high 32 to lead Boston to win
Kemba Walker made two late free throws and scored a season-high 32 points to help the Boston Celtics snap a three-game losing streak with a 118-112 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Daniel Theis added 17 points and Jaylen Brown finished with 15.
Indiana led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but never led in the final 24 minutes in losing for the third time in four games.
Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with 24 points and nine assists. Justin Holiday added 19 points and five rebounds.
Thunder 118, Hawks 109: Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 24 points, and Oklahoma City beat Atlanta after changing uniforms at halftime because a mix-up left the teams wearing similar colors at the start. The Thunder began the game wearing their sunset orange uniforms while the Hawks wore red, making it difficult to distinguish between the teams. Oklahoma City said in a statement that the Hawks wore the incorrect uniform color. Shenendehowa graduate Kevin Huerter had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists for Atlanta.
Heat 124, Jazz 116: Jimmy Butler and Miami got their most significant win of the season and took down the team with the NBA’S best record in the process. Butler scored a seasonhigh 33 points, reserve Goran Dragic tied his season-best with 26 and the Heat held on to beat Utah (26-7).
Clippers 119, Grizzlies 99: Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points, Lou Williams added 17 and Los Angeles beat Memphis to split a two-game series.
Suns 106, Bulls 97: Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton each scored 22 points and Phoenix rallied to beat Chicago.
Raptors 122, Rockets 111: Norman Powell scored 30 points, Kyle Lowry had a tripledouble and depleted Toronto beat Houston.
Kings 110, Pistons 107: De’aaron Fox scored 27 points to lead Sacramento past Detroit.
Notes: Kevin Durant will be out through the All-star break because of a hamstring injury, sidelining the Brooklyn Nets star from a game for which he was chosen to serve as a captain. The Nets said Friday that after a routine follow-up MRI on Durant’s left hamstring, it was determined that he needed additional recovery time . ... Former Utah forward Elijah Millsap said that he has not yet heard from any investigators regarding his allegation that Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey made a bigoted comment to him during an end-of-season meeting in 2015. Millsap also expressed doubt that a fair investigation could take place regarding his claim . ... NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the fact that about 100 million votes were cast by fans for All-star starters shows that the people who follow the game globally wanted the league’s midseason showcase to be played. And the league, he said, didn’t want to disappoint them.
Luke Lavery scored 18 points and Mason Courtney added 12 as Shenendehowa pulled away for a 59-46 win over Bethlehem in boys’ basketball on Friday in Bethlehem.
The Plainsmen made eight 3-pointers.
Marko Gibbons led the Eagles with 18 points.
Shenendehowa led 30-23 at halftime and outscored Bethlehem 16-9 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
More boys’ basketball: Damari Holder scored 21 points and Christian Gomez added 20 to help lead Schenectady past rival Albany 71-57 in a Suburban Council contest in Schenectady. The Patriots (4-3) held a 31-27 halftime advantage and outscored the Falcons 22-14 in the third quarter to run away with the win. Isaiah Austin had 33 points for Albany (2-3) . ... T.J. Kelley’s three-point play with just four seconds left lifted Waterford to a 39-38 win over visiting Schuylerville. Kelley was fouled converting the game-tying basket and then connected on the subsequent free throw to give the Fordians the win, which moves them to 5-0 overall on the season. Kelley finished with a game-high 23 points.
Girls’ basketball: Meghan Huerter sank five 3-pointers and finished with 31 points as Shenendehowa cruised to a 92-50 home win over Bethlehem. The Lady Plainsmen built a 17-point lead by halftime and poured it on in the third quarter with a 29-7 run. Maren Louridas scored 22 for the Eagles.
Diving: Defending Section II champion Conor Compton of Niskayuna captured the Suburban Council title with a score of 502.50. Anna Flanders of Albany finished second with a score of 450.30 points. Swimming finals are Saturday at Shenendehowa. Sectionals and state championships were canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.