Booker scores 70 but Suns go down
BOSTON: The Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker scored 70 points, becoming the sixth different player in NBA history to reach that total, but the Boston Celtics got 34 points from Isaiah Thomas and outlasted the visitors 130-120 on Friday night.
Booker joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson and Elgin Baylor as the NBA’s 70-point scorers. Baylor also held the previous record against the Celtics with 64 points in Minneapolis for the Lakers on Nov. 8, 1959.
The win was Boston’s third straight, and avenged its buzzerbeater loss in Phoenix earlier this month.
CAVALIERS 112, HORNETS 105: LeBron James had 32 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Cleveland bounced back from its worst defensive outing of the season with a win over Charlotte.
Kyrie Irving added 26 points and Kevin Love had 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers snapped Charlotte’s three-game winning streak and clinched the Central Division.
ROCKETS 117, PELICANS 107: James Harden scored 38 points, including eight down the stretch, and tied a career high with 17 assists to help Houston pull away from New Orleans.
The Pelicans had scored seven points in a row, capped by a 3-pointer from DeMarcus Cousins, to cut the lead to two with about two minutes left. Harden scored Houston’s first points in almost 2 1/2 minutes after that on a driving layup to extend the lead.
BUCKS 100, HAWKS 97: Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo picked up his second straight double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee held on to beat Atlanta.
The Bucks, who have won 11 of 13 games, moved into a tie with Atlanta for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have lost six straight.
WARRIORS 114, KINGS 100: Stephen Curry had 27 points, seven rebounds and a season-high 12 assists to help Golden State beat Sacramento.
Draymond Green added a season-best 23 points with eight assists, while Ian Clark scored 10 points to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 58-14. Golden State has won six straight since its season-high three-game losing streak.