THOMAS SCORES 25 POINTS TO LEAD CELTS OVER PACERS

boston»Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points, Avery Bradley had 18 with eight rebounds and the Celtics beat the Pacers 109-100 on Wednesday night for their fifth win in six games.

Al Horford added 15 points with eight boards and eight assists, and Jae Crowder also scored 15 points for Boston, which won for the 12th time in 13 home games.

Paul George led the Pacers with 37 points and Jeff Teague had 25. Indiana has alternated by winning and losing in its last 15 games.

The Celtics turned a red-hot shooting third quarter into 39 points, pushing a seven-point halftime lead to 14 after three quarters.

Boston hit 17-of-25 shots from the field, with Marcus Smart’s last-second bank shot in the lane capping the shooting. He was fouled on the play and made the free throw, giving the Celtics an 88-74 lead entering the final quarter.

WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Marco Belinelli came off the bench to add 20 as the Hornets pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Magic 109-02. Charlotte won its third straight game and keeps its Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive after entering the night three games out of eighth place in the standings. Orlando, meanwhile, lost to Charlotte for the fourth time this season. … Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 28 points, and the Bulls beat the Pistons 117-95 in a matchup between struggling teams fighting for a playoff spot. … Russell Westbrook recorded his 35th triple-double of the season with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists and the Thunder cruised to a 122-97 win over the 76ers. … Bradley Beal scored 28 points and John Wall added all 22 of his in the second half to help the Wizards to a 104-100 victory over the Hawks. Wall also had 10 assists on a night he shot just 6 of 21 from the floor, including two assists to Beal during a late 14-2 run.

FOOTNOTE

Bulls honor Krause. The Bulls honored late general manager Jerry Krause with a moment of silence before their game against the Pistons on Wednesday night. The executive who oversaw a dynasty that produced a pair of championship three-peats in the 1990s, Krause died on Tuesday. He was 77.