Celtics rally to beat 76ers in London
Slumping Cavaliers lose to Raptors by season-high 34 points
Kyrie Irving had 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds and the Boston Celtics overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-103 on Thursday night in the eighth NBA game played in England.
Jaylen Brown added 21 points, and Marcus Morris had 19 points and eight rebounds to help the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics extend their winning streak to seven games.
JJ Redick had 22 points and hit five 3-pointers for Philadelphia, but the 76ers were unable to take advantage of their fast start as the Celtics’ NBA-best defense tightened at O2 Arena.
Joel Embiid had 16 points, and fellow All- Star hopeful Ben Simmons added 15 for the 76ers.
• The NBA has been staging regular-season games at the O2 since 2011 and tickets sold out in under an hour. But while the NFL continues to stage multiple regular- season games each year in London, European basketball fans may have to continue to settle for just one.
“It’s just the logistical challenges for us are so much greater (than for the NFL),” commissioner Adam Silver said. “The demand is there and the interest is there. It’s really more a question of our schedule and whether we can make it work.” RAPTORS 133, CAVALIERS 99 » LeBron James and the struggling Eastern Conference champs absorbed their most-lopsided loss of the season. It was the third straight game that Cleveland has allowed at least 127 points.
The Cavs have dropped six of eight dating to a Christmas Day defeat at Golden State. Isaiah Thomas missed his first 11 shots. LAKERS 93, SPURS 81 » Rookie Lonzo Ball had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead L. A. CLIPPERS 121, KINGS 115 » L. A.’s Lou Williams, coming off a 50-point performance against the Warriors, scored 30 points to lead the Clippers. HORNETS » Coach Steve Clifford has been medically cleared to return to coaching on a full-time basis and will officially rejoin the Hornets starting with practice Tuesday. Clifford has been away fromthe team since Dec. 6 dealing with a health issue.