Baynes lifts Celtics to 10th win in a row
BOSTON » Aron Baynes matched his career high with 21 points, Kyrie Irving scored 19 and the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-96 on Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory.
Baynes also had eight rebounds and three assists, and Boston improved to 10-2 even as Al Horford sat out after being placed in concussion protocol earlier in the day. The Celtics also lost rookie forward Jayson Tatum late in the second quarter, when he went to the locker room with a sore right ankle.
Boston led by 20 in the second quarter before letting the lead shrink to two in the third. Los Angeles then struggled down the stretch, shooting 5 of 18 from the field with six turnovers in the final period.
Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 18 points apiece. Julius Randle had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Celtics fans gave rookie Lonzo Ball an icy welcome in his first trip to TD Garden. They booed the No. 2 overall pick throughout the night whenever he touched the ball. He finished with nine points, six assists and five rebounds, making just 4 of 15 from the field.
With Tatum sidelined in the second half, Boston struggled defensively, and the Lakers exploited the paint for several easy baskets.
Irving also got banged up and had his right leg examined by trainers between the third and fourth quarters. He came back with just over six minutes to play and immediately made an impact, scoring back-to-back baskets to push Boston’s lead back to 100-90.
The Celtics led by 48-28 in the second quarter but were outscored 24-13 over the final 6:51 of the half to let the Lakers back into the game. PISTONS 114, PACERS 97 » Tobias Harris scored 23 points and first-place Detroit won for the sixth time in seven games, beating Indiana.
Andre Drummond added 14 points and 21 rebounds for the Pistons. They lead Cleveland by three games in the Central Division. Indiana lost its fourth straight.
Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 21 points, but Indiana has allowed at least 100 points in 10 of 12 games this season. The Pacers were without injured big man Domantas Sabonis (bruised right calf). MAGIC 112, KNICKS 99 » Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and Evan Fournier added 23 to help Orlando beat New York.
Jonathon Simmons scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half. He had 11 straight points early in the fourth quarter to push the Magic’s lead back to double figures.
The Magic, benefiting from the return of starting point guard Elfrid Payton, snapped a two-game losing streak. New York, playing without scoring Kristaps Porzingis (ankle and elbow injuries), had its three-game winning streak come to an end. Tim Hardaway Jr. led New York with 26 points. HEAT 126, SUNS 115 » Former Phoenix guard Goran Dragic scored a seasonhigh 29 points in the Miami Heat’s 126115 victory over the Suns on Wednesday night.
The Heat made 12 3-pointers, shot 53.1 percent overall and never trailed. Hassan Whiteside added 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for Miami.