No. 1 pick Fultz back for Sixers

Markelle Fultz heard 20,000 fans chanting “Fultz! Fultz! Fultz!” and for a fleeting moment he thought they were serenading Philly’s most popular athlete.

“I thought they were saying ‘Nick Foles,’ ” Fultz said of the Super Bowl MVP for the champion Philadelphia Eagles.

“Then I realized it, and it was pretty dope. These fans are great, and I love them.”

The Sixers and their fans wanted the No. 1 pick to play and — after five often-confusing months — they got him.

Fultz scored 10 points and had eight assists in his first game since October, helping the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 123-104 on Monday night.

The first selection of the 2017 draft shot an airball, had three shots blocked and artfully attacked the lane, flashing glimpses of what has made him both a mystery project and prominent prospect.

With Philadelphia having clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2012, Fultz decided the time was right to return from the injured shoulder and busted confidence that had cost him all but four games of his rookie season.

Celtics scored added 20 23 102, in points three Suns and quarters 94: Marcus Jayson before Morris Tatum leaving with an injury for Boston. Tatum surpassed 1,000 points for the season, and the visiting Celtics won their fourth straight to move within three games of the Toronto Raptors for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Grizzlies 101, Timberwolves 93: Wayne Selden scored 23 points, Marc Gasol had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and visiting Memphis dealt a blow to Minnesota’s playoff hopes. Selden and Gasol each hit four threepointers as Memphis went 15-for-31 from beyond the arc and snapped its 17-game road losing streak.

Pistons 112, Lakers 106: Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Reggie Bullock had 16, as host Detroit won for the fourth time in five games. The Pistons still trail idle Miami by five games for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Julius Randle had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, and Lonzo Ball finished with 15 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and 11 boards.

Hornets 137, Knicks 128: Kemba Walker had 11 of his 31 points and three assists in overtime, and host Charlotte earned its fourth straight victory. Walker hit a late three-pointer to help send the game into overtime and then took over. Walker was 4-for-4 in the extra period with three three-pointers to outduel New York’s Trey Burke, who finished with a career-high 42 points.