NBA: Brown, Tatum lead Celtics past Cavaliers

JAYLEN Brown matched his career high of 34 points and Jayson Tatum scored 24 of his 30 in the first half as the host Boston Celtics cruised to a 129-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Brown followed up a season high-tying 30-point performance in Boston's 118-102 victory over Toronto on Wednesday by making 13 of 20 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Tatum, who also made 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, sank 9 of 13 shots from the floor in the first half and finished 11 of 20 to answer a dismal 5-for-18 performance against the Raptors.

Enes Kanter chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench as the Celtics collected their fifth straight win overall and seventh in a row versus Cleveland.

Kevin Love scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half and made 6 of 11 3-point attempts for the Cavaliers, who had won a season-high three in a row after losing 16 of their previous 18.

Collin Sexton chipped in 21 points and rookie Kevin Porter Jr. added 16 off the bench for Cleveland.

Bucks hammer Hawks as Giannis sits with sore back

Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez combined for 42 points and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks defeated Atlanta 112-86 on Friday, handing the Hawks their ninth straight loss.

Middleton scored 23 and Lopez matched his season high with 19 points as Milwaukee bounced back from its lopsided loss to Philadelphia on Christmas.

Middleton, who scored a season-high 31 on Wednesday, was 10for-19 from the floor and had eight rebounds. Lopez was 8-for-14 from the field against Atlanta’s undersized interior and blocked three shots.

The Bucks did not miss league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did not play because of back soreness.

Veteran Ersan Ilyasova got the start in his place and equaled his season high with 18 points and grabbed a season high 17 rebounds.

Magic barely hold off 76ers

Evan Fournier scored 20 points, and Aaron Gordon added 19 points and 11 rebounds as the host Orlando Magic held on for a 98-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Terrence Ross chipped in 17 points off the bench, and Nikola Vucevic collected 16 points, 12 boards and seven assists for the Magic, who improved to 10-6 at home after defeating Philadelphia for the second time this season.

Orlando posted a 11297 victory over the 76ers on Nov. 13.

Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid each recorded 24 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which nearly overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and

saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt.

Milwaukee has won all three meetings this season against Atlanta and has beaten the Hawks in 10 of the last 11 contests. It was a league-leading 28th win for the Bucks.

Pistons crush Wizards by 30, end 5-game skid

Christian Wood scored 22 points off the bench, Tim Frazier had 17 points and six assists, and the host Detroit Pistons snapped a five-game losing streak by blasting the Washington Wizards 132-102 on Thursday.

Derrick Rose contributed 15 points and six assists, Blake Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and An

dre Drummond supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons.

Bruce Brown and Svi Mykhailiuk added 12 points apiece, and Tony Snell chipped in 10.

The Pistons shot 53.5 percent from the field.

Anzejs Pasecniks topped the Wizards with 17 points while Bradley Beal and Jordan McRae had 15 points apiece. Troy Brown Jr. contributed 13 points, and Gary Payton II, signed less than a week ago, added 10 points.

The Wizards were held to 41.3 percent shooting.

Washington won at Detroit 133-119 on Dec. 16, but the Pistons dominated this game virtually from the start.