Tatum scores 37, Celtics pound LA in James’ return
Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 on Friday night in LeBron James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup.
Marcus Smart had 22 points and Dennis Schroder 21 for Boston (88), which climbed back to .500. Tatum had 11 rebounds and Al Horford added 18 points.
Anthony Davis led Los Angeles with 31 points and James finished with 23 in 32 minutes. They each had six rebounds and two assists.
James had missed eight games with an abdominal strain, and the Lakers went 3-5 while he was sidelined. They’ve lost their last four road games.
The teams who have accounted for nearly half of the NBA’s championships with 17 apiece renewed their rivalry in front of a raucous TD Garden crowd that made it seem like a playoff atmosphere from the opening tip.
Hall of Famer Bill Russell — introduced as a “true Celtics legend” when he was welcomed back by the PA announcer and shown on the Jumbotron midway into the opening quarter — was seated courtside wearing a hat with the initials “KB” encircled in a yellow heart on the front for the late Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
The Celtics led by 11 points entering the final quarter and opened a 10994 lead on Tatum’s threepoint play with 6:59 remaining. His 3-pointer from the left corner increased it to 116-99 with 5:02 to go.
The Lakers made nine of their initial 12 shots en route to a 38-30 lead after one quarter.
James’ first basket came on a thundering dunk off a drive down the lane 2 ½ minutes into the game. HORNETS 121, PACERS 118 » LaMelo Ball had a seasonhigh 32 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists and Charlotte held off Indiana for its fifth straight victory.
Gordon Hayward added 25 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 to finish off a 4-0 homestand that included wins over Golden State and Washington.
Jeremy Lamb had 23 points for Indiana, and Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points. The Pacers lost all three of their games on a trip to fall to 2-9 overall.
BUCKS 96, THUNDER 89 » Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists and Milwaukee withstood Oklahoma City’s comeback attempt and to beat the Thunder.
Milwaukee never trailed but nearly allowed Oklahoma City to come all the way back from a 20-point deficit.
NETS 115, MAGIC 113 » James Harden had 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Brooklyn overcame a 19-point deficit and the absence of Kevin Durant to beat Orlando.
Durant did not play due to a right shoulder sprain.
Harden was 19 for 20 from the free throw line. Patty Mills added 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter.
PELICANS 94, CLIPPERS 81 » Jonas Valanciunas had 26 points and 13 rebounds and New Orleans overcame a 20-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
After challenging the Pelicans to “grow up” after they’d blown doubledigit leads at Washington and Miami earlier this week, Josh Hart had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Brandon Ingram had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kira Lewis Jr. added 16 points to help New Orleans win for just the third time in 17 games this season.
BULLS 114, NUGGETS 108
Zach LaVine scored 12 of his 36 points in a pivotal stretch of the fourth quarter, DeMar DeRozan hit eight straight late free throws and Chicago won in Denver for the first time since 2006, beating a Nuggets team without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic sat courtside in a tan suit with a dark turtleneck, his sprained right wrist in a brace.
SUNS 112, MAVERICKS 104 » Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker each scored 19 points, Chris Paul added 18 points and 14 assists and Phoenix ran its winning streak to 11, rallying to beat Dallas.