Another perfect night by Williams lifts Celtics
Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Robert Williams had a career-high 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Celtics rolled to a 118-102 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night in Boston.
Trade deadline acquisition Evan Fournier hit a career-best seven 3-pointers to finish with 23 points, and Jaylen Brown scored 22 to help the Celtics snap a two-game skid.
Williams hit all nine of his field goal attempts, marking the second time this month he was perfect from the floor against the Rockets. He had 16 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-7 shooting in Boston’s 134-107 win at Houston on March 14.
Christian Wood led Houston with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets stayed close early despite playing their second straight game without John Wall, who continues to deal with a fluid issue in his left knee.
But they couldn’t keep up in the second half, turning it over 12 times on the night, leading to 32 Boston points.
Williams was productive on both ends of the floor in his return from a one-game absence for a non-COVID-19 illness. He scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting to go along with eight rebounds in the first half as Boston took a 52-44 lead into halftime.
Mavericks 99, Knicks 86: At New York, Luka Doncic scored 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks won at New York.
Doncic was one of five players to finish in double-figure scoring for Dallas, which has won three straight. Jalen Brunson had 15 points and Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. each added 14 against their former team. Josh Richardson scored 11.
Alec Burks scored 20 points to lead the Knicks, whohave lost three in a row. Julius Randle finished with 14 points, and Reggie Bullock had 13.
The Mavericks were without coach Rick Carlisle, who tested positive for COVID-19 in the morning. After the positive test, Carlisle stayed behind at the team hotel. He met virtually with reporters about an hour before the game to announce the positive test while revealing publicly for the first time that he has been fully vaccinated since February. Assistant Jamahl Mosley filled in for Carlisle.
It was the first of two matchups between the teams — the rematch occurs on April 16 at American Airlines Center — who were involved in a trade on Jan. 31, 2019, in which the Knicks shipped a disgruntled Porzingis, along with Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke to Dallas for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., a 2021 first round pick and a 2023 first round pick.
Since the trade, Porzingis has been viewed as a villain by Knicks fans, who booed him throughout his first game at Madison Square Garden as a member of the Mavericks, a 106-103 loss on Nov. 14, 2019.
Five hundred and five days later, the ire of Knicks fans to the franchise’s one-time cornerstone had not subsided as Porzingis, whotold reporters Thursday that NewYorkers “show me love and support” whenever he returns, was serenaded with jeers and derisive chants from the Madison Square Garden crowd.
Thibodeau did not bite when
asked about rumors that the Knicks signed big manNorvel Pelle in order to add depth to the center position in response to Mitchell Robinson breaking his foot. “I can’t comment until it’s official,” Thibodeau said. “I’ll be happy to do so once it’s official.”