TATUM GETS DEFENSIVE
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and had two blocks in the final 30 seconds to help the Boston Celtics hold off the visiting Indiana Pacers 129124 on Tuesday night.
Celtics 129, Pacers 124
Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Derrick White finished with 24 to help Boston win its season series with Indiana, 3-2. The Pacers eliminated the Celtics in the quarterfinal round of the InSeason Tournament in December.
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam finished with 23 points and Myles Turner added 17. AllStar Tyrese Haliburton had 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics led 127-124 when Tatum denied Turner at the rim with 29.3 seconds left, leading to a shot-clock violation. He came up with another block with 11.2 seconds remaining to preserve Boston’s five-point lead.
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left ankle and finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Warriors 119, 76ers 107: Stephen Curry had 37 points with eight 3-pointers, Jonathan Kuminga had 26 points and host Golden State beat Philadelphia.
Curry, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists, shot 12 for 17 in his third straight 30-point game. It was his third game in a row with six or more 3s and his sixth in a row with 25 or more points.
Tobias Harris had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Joel Embiid scored 14 points for the Sixers before limping to the locker room with 4:04 left to a standing ovation after Kuminga fell on his left knee.
Knicks 118, Jazz 103: Donte DiVincenzo made a career-high nine 3-pointers and scored 33 points, Jalen Brunson had 29 points and nine assists, and host New York wrapped up one of the best months in franchise history with its eighth straight victory.
The Knicks finished 14-2 in January. That was their most wins in a month since going 14-0 in March 1994 and just one shy of their most ever, when they were 15-3 in December 1968.
Collin Sexton scored 22 points for Utah, which lost in New York for the second straight night to finish its road trip at 2-4. The Jazz were beaten 147-114 by Brooklyn on Monday.
Hawks 138, Lakers 122: Trae Young scored 26 points, knocking down his first six attempts from 3-point range, and the Atlanta handed visiting Los Angeles its second double-digit loss in as many nights.
The Lakers, playing without Anthony Davis after a 135119 loss at Houston on Monday, slipped back below .500 at 24-25. Austin Reaves scored 28 points and James added 20 in a lackluster performance before a standing-room-only crowd.
Dejounte Murray, who had 24 points for the Hawks, knocked down mid-range jumpers on three straight possessions midway through the fourth quarter to turn back any thoughts of a Lakers comeback.
Raptors 118, Bulls 107: Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points, Bruce Brown added 19 points and seven rebounds, and short-handed Toronto rallied past host Chicago to snap a season-high five-game skid.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 25 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 21. Chicago has lost three of four.