Celtics beat Lakers in James’ return
Jayson Tatum grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, so he knew all about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry even before becoming part of it.
On Friday night in Boston, he put on an offensive show in front of Celtics Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Paul Pierce in the latest chapter.
“It’s a surreal moment, obviously, Bill Russell and the impact he had on the Celtics and the NBA,” Tatum said. “Having someone like Paul come to the game and someone I have a relationship with.
“I remember watching him play,” Tatum said, breaking into a smile. “Now he’s watching me play, that’s crazy.“
Tatum scored 37 points and the Celtics won 130-108 in LeBron James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup.
Marcus Smart had 22 points and Dennis Schroder 21 for Boston (8-8), which climbed back to .500. Tatum also had 11 rebounds.
Anthony Davis led Los Angeles with 31 points and James finished with 23 in 32 minutes. They each had six rebounds and two assists.
“I felt OK,” James said. ”Obviously being out 2½ weeks, I felt kind of like a rookie again, just being away from the game. Excited. Felt good enough that I could trust my body.“
James had missed eight games with an abdominal strain, and the Lakers went 3-5 while he was sidelined. They’ve lost their past four road games.
“It’s never 65 games left” in the season,” James said. “We need to play better.”
Davis agreed, noting the Lakers are deep enough to win even without James.
“We still have enough with our without to win basketball games,“he said.
Nets 115, Magic 113: James Harden had 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Brooklyn overcame a 19-point deficit and the absence of Kevin Durant to beat visiting Orlando. Durant did not play due to a right shoulder sprain. Harden was 19-for-20 from the free-throw line. Patty Mills added 22 points.
Bucks 96, Thunder 89: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists as host Milwaukee withstood Oklahoma City’s comeback attempt. Milwaukee did not trail but nearly allowed Oklahoma City to come all the way back from a 20-point deficit.
Pelicans 94, Clippers 81: Jonas Valanciunas had 26 points and 13 rebounds and New Orleans overcame a 20-point first-half deficit to beat visiting Los Angeles. After challenging the Pelicans to “grow up” after they’d blown double-digit leads at Washington and Miami this week, Josh Hart had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
Hornets 121, Pacers 118: LaMelo Ball had a season-high 32 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists and host Charlotte held off Indiana for its fifth straight victory. Gordon Hayward added 25 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 to finish off a 4-0 homestand that included wins over the Warriors and Washington.
Raptors 108, Kings 89: Pascal Siakam scored 18 of his season-high 32 points in the first half to lead Toronto past host Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox scored 17 points for the Kings.
Bulls 114, Nuggets 108: Zach LaVine scored 12 of his 36 points in a pivotal stretch of the fourth quarter, DeMar DeRozan hit eight straight late free throws and Chicago won in Denver for the first time since 2006. Nikola Jokic sat courtside in a tan suit with a dark turtleneck, his sprained right wrist in a brace.
Suns 112, Mavericks 104: Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges each had 19 points in Phoenix’s home win over Dallas. It marked the Suns’ 11th straight win, their longest streak since the 2006-07 season.
Briefly: The Mavericks are retiring Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 41 when the Warriors visit in January. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to attend the Jan. 5 ceremony honoring the only player in league history to play 21 seasons with the same team. The ceremony will be held after the game. ... Cleveland guard Collin Sexton’s season is over after surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. Cleveland’s leading scorer hurt his knee on Nov. 7 in a game against the Knicks . ... New Orleans small forward Didi Louzada has been suspended 25 games for violating the the NBA’s performance-enhancing drug rules.