Doncic scores 36, leads Mavericks past Celtics
Luka Doncic had 36 points and eight rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks held on to beat the Boston Celtics 113-108 on Wednesday night.
Jalen Brunson added 21 points, including two late free throws, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 19 points to help the Mavericks win their second straight.
Dallas led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before the Celtics rallied to within single digits in the fourth.
Jayson Tatum had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead Boston. Jaylen Brown added 24.
Boston has lost its last two.
The Mavericks were clinging to a 104-98 lead when Doncic was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 56 seconds left. He connected on two of his three ensuing free throws.
Boston kept attacking and got within 109-107 on a Marcus Smart tip-in of a Tatum missed layup.
The Celtics quickly fouled Brunson, but he calmly sank two free throws with 11.3 seconds left.
Dallas used a 20-5 run to take 6139 lead late in the second quarter, hitting three consecutive 3s at one point. Doncic was nearly flawless in the half, connecting on 8 of 9 shots (5 of 6 from 3-point range) and scoring 24 points.
It prompted Celtics fans to voice their displeasure for the second straight game, raining boos down on the home team multiple times. NETS 120, ROCKETS 108 » Kyrie Irving had 31 points and a season-high 12 assists, and Brooklyn overcame the loss of James Harden to beat Houston and move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Harden sat out the fourth quarter against his former team with right hamstring tightness, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Nets put together the pivotal run without him, scoring 12 straight midway through the final period to turn a six-point deficit into a 107-101 lead, winning a game they trailed by 18 after less than five minutes.
Joe Harris added 28 points for the Nets, who didn’t even lead until the last half-minute of the third quarter, but emerged with their 19th win in 22 games, improving to 26-9 since acquiring Harden from Houston on Jan. 14.
At 33-15, they are half-game ahead of the Sixers atop the East.
HEAT 92, PACERS 87 » Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler helped Miami rally from a 13-point first-half deficit by spurring a decisive eight-point fourth-quarter run to give the Heat a victory over Indiana.
Robinson finished with 20 points and Butler added 18 as Miami avoided getting swept in the threegame season series with the Pacers.