Celtics breeze to 8th straight victory
BOSTON — Kyrie Irving scored 24 points in three quarters, and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-108 on Friday night for their eighth straight victory.
Irving also had five assists, five rebounds and four steals. He scored 12 points in the first quarter and helped Boston race to a 23-5 lead. The Celtics topped 100 points with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum had 22 points for Boston, and Marcus Morris added 20.
Kevin Huerter led Atlanta with 19 points.
PACERS 113, 76ERS 101
Thaddeus Young had 26 points and 10 rebounds against his former team, and Indiana overcame Joel Embiid’s 40-point night to beat host Philadelphia.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points, and the Pacers won their sixth straight to pass the Sixers in the standings. Victor Oladipo played in his second consecutive game after missing 11 in a row with a knee injury and had 14 points and nine assists.
Embiid also had 21 rebounds, becoming the first Sixers player with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds since Charles Barkley on Dec. 7, 1990. Embiid is the first player in the NBA this season with a 40-point, 20-rebound game.
BUCKS 114, CAVALIERS 102
Giannis Antetokounmpo tied his career high with 44 points, and Milwaukee won at Cleveland despite missing two starters.
Antetokounmpo’s big night came after being held to a season-low 12 points Wednesday night in a loss to Indiana. He was 14-of-19 from the field, made 16 of 21 foul shots, and had 14 rebounds and eight assists.
KNICKS 126, HORNETS 124
Emmanuel Mudiay had 34 points and eight assists and short-handed New York overcame a 21-point deficit to win at Charlotte and snap a five-game skid.
Mudiay scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a fadeaway jumper with 27.2 seconds left to tie it at 113. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 8.2 seconds left and the game went to overtime.
NETS 125, WIZARDS 118
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points in his first game since signing a threeyear contract extension, and Brooklyn beat visiting Washington for its seasonbest fourth straight win.
HEAT 100, GRIZZLIES 97
Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk scored 18 points each as Miami snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over host Memphis.
WARRIORS 130, KINGS 125
Klay Thompson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 38.5 seconds left, Stephen Curry added four free throws down the stretch, and Golden State ended the game on a big run after a sluggish start to the fourth quarter, winning at Sacramento.
NUGGETS 109, THUNDER 98
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three steals, and Denver defeated visiting Oklahoma City.
BLAZERS 128, RAPTORS 122
Damian Lillard had 24 points, and host Portland broke a two-game skid with a confidence-boosting win over NBA-leading Toronto.