CLIPS MISS KAWHI IN LOSS TO CELTICS
The Celtics have had trouble at times this season holding on to leads late in games.
Boston benefited from the surprise absence of one of the league’s top stars to avoid that and post its first winning streak in a month.
Celtics 117, Clippers 112
Kemba Walker had 25 points and six assists, and the Celtics took advantage of a late scratch of All-Star Kawhi Leonard because of back spasms and held off the Los Angeles Clippers 117-112 on Tuesday night in Boston.
Jaylen Brown finished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard each added 14 as the Celtics posted three straight victories for the first time since January.
“I’m just playing the right way. Taking whatever the defense gives me. The shots are just falling. That’s it,” Walker said. “At the end of the day the overall goal is to win. We’ve been doing that.”
Coach Brad Stevens said he’s proud of how his team has responded after a stretch that saw them lose nine of 14.
“They’ve stayed together when they could have been pulled apart by the noise,” he said.
The Clippers, who have lost five of eight, played without Leonard after he was ruled out shortly before the game with the back issue.
Paul George led Los Angeles with 32 points. Reggie Jackson took Leonard’s place in the starting lineup and finished with 25 points and seven assists.
Leonard was listed as a starter before the game, but never took the floor during warmups. The team announced late in the first quarter that he had been ruled out.
Jackson said with Leonard out, the Celtics used their length to their advantage.
“They were comfortable switching and also comfortable playing one-on-one defense,” Jackson said. “A lot of teams right now have been hurting us with the switching.”
In a game that featured 16 lead changes, the Celtics took a 91-89 edge into the fourth quarter. It grew to 111100 on a layup by Tatum with 4:23 remaining.
Suns 114, Lakers 104: Dario Saric scored a seasonhigh 21 off the bench and visiting Phoenix shot 55.2 percent from deep to defeat Los Angeles and move past them into second place in the West. LeBron James scored 38 points to lead the Lakers, who played without Anthony Davis (calf), Marc Gasol (health and safety protocols) and Kyle Kuzma (heel). Suns’ leading scorer Devin Booker was ejected early in the third quarter.
Hawks 94, Heat 80: Trae Young scored 18 points, including 13 straight for his team in the fourth quarter as visiting Atlanta snapped Miami’s six-game winning streak and gave Nate McMillan a win in his first game as interim coach. Miami was outrebounded 47-26.
Nuggets 128, Bucks 97: Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his ninth triple-double of the season and 50th of his career, and visiting Denver trounced Milwaukee to snap the Bucks’ five-game winning streak. Jamal Murray added 24 points as the Nuggets earned their third straight victory.
Grizzlies 125, Wizards 111: Ja Morant had 35 points and 10 assists, De’Anthony Melton and Dillon Brooks each added 20 points, and visiting Memphis beat Washington. Russell Westbrook had 23 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, but also committed eight of Washington’s 22 turnovers.
Spurs 119, Knicks 83: Trey Lyles scored a seasonhigh 18 points, Dejounte Murray added 17 and host San Antonio used a balanced effort to end New York’s three-game winning streak. Immanuel Quickley led New York with 26 points.