Celtics hang on for league-best start
ATLANTA — Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum added 21 and the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks 110-107 Monday night for their ninth straight victory.
Irving’s 3 from the right wing put the Celtics up 104-103 — the game’s 25th lead change — with 1:37 remaining, and Boston led the rest of the way.
Dennis Schroder had 23 points for the rebuilding Hawks, who dropped to 2-9 a night after a surprising win at Cleveland.
Boston improved to 9-2, best in the NBA, and has its longest winning streak in seven years.
Al Horford had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in his best game against the Hawks. Horford spent his first nine seasons in Atlanta before leaving as a free agent ahead of last season and had totals of 20 points and 17 rebounds in three games against the Hawks.
NETS 98, SUNS 92
In Phoenix, D’Angelo Russell had 23 points and nine assists, Joe Harris scored a season-high 18 points and Brooklyn beat the Suns.
The Suns rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to lead 75-74 after Jared Dudley’s layup with 9:17 to play, but the Nets went back ahead moments later and held on to end a four-game skid.
T.J. Warren had 20 points as the Suns lost their third straight. Devin Booker scored 18 points before fouling out late in the game.
WARRIORS 97, HEAT 80
In Oakland, Calif., Kevin Durant had 21 points and eight rebounds to help Golden State overcome its shooting woes and beat Miami in a rare low-scoring outing.
Draymond Green scored 18 points with a season-high four 3s to go with nine rebounds as the defending NBA champions won for the seventh time in their last eight games, including three straight in lopsided fashion on their recent road trip.
The Warriors had scored 100 points in every regular-season game since their second-to-last matchup last season, a 105-99 defeat to Utah as the regulars rested or played limited minutes ahead of the playoffs. Golden State is 3-11 over the past three seasons when held below 100 points.