Celtics win 8th in a row, beat Hawks

ATLANTA >> Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 27 points, but was held to 10-of-23 shooting, including a mere 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

ROCKETS 101, MAVERICKS 92 >> Kevin Porter Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds and eight assists, and last-place Houston took advantage of Luka Doncic’s absence in a victory over Dallas.

PACERS 125, HORNETS 113 >> Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 11 assists, Myles Turner added 20 points and 10 rebounds and Indiana beat Charlotte in a game in which Hornets guard LaMelo Ball re-injured his left ankle after stepping on a fan’s foot.

BUCKS 113, CAVALIERS 98 >> Brook Lopez shot 7 for 9 from 3-point range and scored 29 points and Milwaukee beat skidding Cleveland.

PELICANS 124, BULLS 110 >> CJ McCollum scored 23 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 22 points and New Orleans its second straight game without Zion Williamson in the lineup, beating Chicago.

TIMBERWOLVES 126, MAGIC 108 >> Anthony Edwards scored 35 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 and Minnesota beat Orlando after taking a 27-point lead in the first half.

THUNDER 121, WIZARDS 120 >> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining and matched a career high with 42 points in Oklahoma City’s victory over Washington.

RAPTORS 112, HEAT 104 >> O.G. Anunoby scored a seasonhigh 32 points and matched his season high with 10 rebounds and Toronto used a 21-0 run in the third quarter to beat Miami.

KNICKS 106, NUGGETS 103 >> Julius Randle scored a season-high 34 points and New York took advantage of Nikola Jokic’s absence to win in Denver for the first time in 16 years.