Irving, Cavs hold off Celtics
Westbrook ejected in Thunder loss
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and made two critical layups before leaving with a leg injury and Kevin Love scored 30, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off a late rally for a 124-118 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
The Cavs led by 20 points in the third and 17 early in the fourth but couldn’t close out the Celtics, who pulled within one point three times in the final two minutes.
Irving, though, came up with his big baskets and the Cavs had to fend off Boston over the final 53 seconds as their star guard grabbed his right hamstring and went to the bench. His injury did not appear to be serious.
LeBron James had 23 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who won for the 11th time in 13 games. GRIZZLIES 114, THUNDER 80: In Memphis, Tenn., Marc Gasol scored 25 points and Memphis took advantage of Russell Westbrook’s ejection, dominating Oklahoma City.
Westbrook, the NBA’s leading scorer at 31.7 points per game, scored 21 before he was tossed midway through the third quarter when he was whistled for two quick technicals. MAVERICKS 101, LAKERS 89: In Los Angeles, the Mavericks rallied from a sevenpoint halftime deficit to beat Los Angeles.
Dallas was led by Wesley Matthews’ 20 points. Harrison Barnes contributed 17 points and nine rebounds.
Julius Randle was the Lakers’ high scorer with 18 points.
SUNS 99, RAPTORS 91: In Phoenix, Eric Bledsoe scored 22 points and Devin Booker had nine of his 19 in the fourth quarter, helping Phoenix beat Toronto.
The Raptors lost consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 20 and 21. HORNETS 91, HEAT 82:
In Charlotte, N.C., Nicolas Batum had 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, providing a spark during a big third quarter that carried Charlotte over Miami.
The Hornets outscored the Heat 31-17 in the quarter to take command. JAZZ 100, 76ERS 83: In Salt Lake City, George Hill had 21 points in his return to the lineup after missing 13 games with a sprained toe as Utah beat Philadelphia.