Irving’s huge game helps Nets beat Celtics
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 121-109 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
James Harden had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which improved to 25-13 with its 12th win in 13 games. Landry Shamet added 18 points and fellow reserve Jeff Green finished with 11 as the Nets won without Kevin Durant and newcomer Blake Griffin.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points but Boston had its four-game winning streak snapped. Marcus Smart added 19 in his return from injury.
At Tampa, Fla., Tony Snell had six points and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Atlanta. Trae Young added 37 points. Norman Powell scored 33 points for Toronto.
At Miami, Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and added 11 assists for Miami. Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for Orlando.
At New Orleans, Jaylen Nowell hit six 3-pointers on his way to a career-best 28 points for Minnesota, which won for just the eighth time this season.
At Charlotte, N.C., Findlay Prep alumni P.J. Washington had 20 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte. Jerami Grant had 32 points on 11-of-24 shooting for Detroit.
At Chicago, Tobias Harris scored 24 points to lead Philadelphia. Dwight Howard added a season-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
At Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 29 minutes for Milwaukee. RJ Barrett had 22 points for New York.
At Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 32 points for Oklahoma City, which shot 16 of 32 behind the arc.
At Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points in three quarters and Paul George added 17 points for Los Angeles. Stephen Curry was held to 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
At Portland, Ore., Devin Booker returned from the knee injury that kept him out of the All-star Game to score 35 points. Damian Lillard had 30 points for Portland.
At Sacramento, Calif., De’aaron Fox had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Sacramento sent Houston to its 14th consecutive loss.