PISTONS SURGE PAST CELTICS
Detroit end Boston’s home winning streak
TOBIAS Harris tallied 31 points as the Detroit Pistons halted the Boston Celtics’ eightgame home win streak with a 118108 victory in a battle between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Andre Drummond posted 26 points, a season-high 22 rebounds and six assists as the Pistons went on a late 13-3 surge to seal the victory and spoil the start of Boston’s five-game homestand.
“Tonight was just a great night overall for all of us,” said Drummond. “We really wanted to beat these guys. We gave them our best shot and came out with a great win.”
It was the first meeting of the teams since the Celtics traded Avery Bradley to Detroit along with a second-round pick in exchange for Marcus Morris during the offseason.
Bradley, who heard cheers from the Boston Garden crowd, and Morris both scored 13 points. Bradley also had five assists.
For Drummond, it was his fourth game of 22 rebounds in 10 career contests in the Garden.
Detroit guard Reggie Jackson finished with 20 points and seven assists in the win.
Elsewhere, LeBron James tallied 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 113-91.
Dwyane Wade came off the bench to score 15 points for Cleveland, who won their eighth straight contest to improve to 137 on the season.
Cleveland owned a 57-30 advantage in points from nonstarters and held the Sixers to 37.5 percent shooting, including three-for-28 from beyond the arc.
Cleveland shot 48.2 percent, including 40.5 percent from three-point range.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia, which saw a three-game winning streak halted, with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
Rookie sensation Ben Simmons, of Australia, was limited to 10 points and eight rebounds before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies fired coach David Fizdale on Monday and named J.B. Bickerstaff as the interim head coach.
Memphis is mired in an eightgame losing streak and owns a 712 mark this season after advancing to the playoffs in 2016-17.
"After a thorough evaluation, I decided a change in course was necessary to move forward and provide the team and organization its best chance at success this season and beyond," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said.
“Coach Fizdale represented the Grizzlies and City of Memphis proudly, and we wish him well as he continues his career.”
Fizdale has recorded a 50-51 mark since being named the 13th head coach in franchise history on May 29, 2016.
RESULTS
Sacramento 110 Golden State 106, LA Clippers 120 LA Lakers 115, San Antonio 115 Dallas 108, Houston 117 Brooklyn 103, Detroit 118 Boston 108, Portland 103 NY Knicks 91, Indiana 121 Orlando 109, Cleveland 113 Philadelphia 91.