Celtics beat Hornets for 11th straight
BOSTON » Jayson Tatum and Shane Larkin each had 16 points and the Boston Celtics overcame an injury to Kyrie Irving to beat the Charlotte Hornets 9087 on Friday night for their 11th straight victory.
Terry Rozier had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, playing an increased role after Irving left in the first quarter after taking an elbow to the face. Jaylen Brown added 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Celtics center Aron Baynes’ elbow inadvertently struck Irving when Baynes was landing after a rebound attempt. Irving was bleeding from the nose as he was escorted back to the locker room. Irving was ruled out for the rest of the game while he was monitored for possible concussion symptoms.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 20 points and 11 assists. PISTONS 111, HAWKS 104 » Andre Drummond had 16 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high seven assists, and Reggie Jackson made a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute to lift Detroit past Atlanta.
The Central Divisionleading Pistons won for the seventh time in eight games. Detroit (9-3) is off to its best start since 200506, when the Pistons went 10-2 and ended up winning 64 games.
Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 11 assists for Atlanta. At 2-10, the Hawks have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. PACERS 105, BULLS 87 » Victor Oladipo scored 25 points and Indiana beat Chicago to snap a fourgame losing streak.
Bojan Bogdanovic made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Pacers, and Thaddeus Young finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Bobby Portis led Chicago with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Chicago is slam dunk for 2020 All-Star game
CHICAGO » For the NBA, Chicago was a slam dunk to host the 2020 All-Star game.
The city will host the showcase event for the first time since 1988, when Michael Jordan took off from the foul line in an epic dunk contest and delivered an MVP performance in the game.
Commissioner Adam Silver, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Bulls executives Michael Reinsdorf and John Paxson were on hand Friday for the announcement on the United Center floor.
Silver said Chicago faced “a lot of competition” to bring it back and the city’s plan put it “over the top.”
Renovations in and around the arena, a new 10,000-seat facility on the Near South Side and Emanuel’s desire helped bring in this one. So did a change of heart by the Bulls.
For years, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf opposed hosting the game because of concerns about displacing season ticketholders.