Royal night: Tatum scores 49 as Celtics hold off Heat
BOSTON — Camera phones throughout TD Garden were fixed on the seats adjacent to Boston’s bench as the Prince and Princess of Wales sat courtside in the city’s hallowed arena Wednesday.
Yet it was the Celtics’ reigning basketball prince who owned the night.
Jayson Tatum hit eight 3-pointers and totaled a season-high 49 points, and Boston held off hot-shooting Miami in a 134-121 victory.
It was the All-star’s third 40-point game this season as he continues to pace the league’s top-rated offense and make an early case for MVP consideration.
“Just kind of being in the right spot,” said Tatum, who hit 15 of 25 field-goal tries and 11 of 12 free throws. He also had 11 rebounds. “I seen a couple go down early. Just kind of shooting in rhythm.”
The Celtics, who shot 55.4 percent, have won five straight and 14 of their past 15.
Max Strus and Bam Adebayo each scored 23 points and Tyler Herro 22 for the Heat, who shot 52.2 percent while hitting 18 of 40 3-point tries.
■ Bucks 109, Knicks 103: At New
York, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee, which went ahead to stay when Grayson Allen hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, after Antetokounmpo had fouled out.
■ Lakers 128, Trail Blazers 109: At
Los Angeles, Lebron James had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles, which won for the sixth time in eight games with its first victory over a team with a winning record since Nov. 2.
■ Nets 113, Wizards 107: At New
York, Kevin Durant scored 39 points for Brooklyn in its third straight win and fifth in a row at home. Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points and 19 rebounds for Washington, which had a 51-34 edge in rebounds.
■ Jazz 125, Clippers 112: At Salt Lake City, Jordan Clarkson had 33 points to lead three 20-point scorers for Utah, which halted a five-game slide. John Wall had 26 points for Los Angeles, which had a 65-22 edge in scoring by reserves.
■ Pelicans 126, Raptors 108: At New Orleans, Zion Williamson had 33 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for New Orleans, which shot 52.3 percent and led by 31 in the third quarter. Gary Trent scored 35 points for Toronto.
■ Thunder 119, Spurs 111: At Oklahoma City, rookie Jalen Williams scored 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting for Oklahoma City, which overcame a 20-point third-quarter deficit and dealt San Antonio its ninth straight loss.
■ Timberwolves 109, Grizzlies 101:
At Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards had 29 points, five steals and three blocks for Minnesota, which forced 27 turnovers and halted a three-game skid despite being outrebounded 59-29.
■ Suns 132, Bulls 113: At Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 51 points in three quarters, and Deandre Ayton added 30 points and 16 rebounds for Phoenix in its sixth straight win. Booker scored 26 in the third quarter.
■ Nuggets 120, Rockets 100: At Denver, Jamal Murray scored 26 points, and Nikola Jokic added 17 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in 27 minutes for Denver, which didn’t trail in its fourth straight victory.
■ Hawks 125, Magic 108: At Orlando, Fla., Trae Young had 30 points and 14 assists while leading three 20-point scorers for Atlanta, which halted a threegame skid and handed Orlando its sixth straight loss.
■ Kings 137, Pacers 114: At Sacramento, Calif., Harrison Barnes and Malik Monk each scored 22 points for Sacramento (11-9), which halted a threegame skid and is off to its best 20-game start since 2004-05.
■ Cavaliers 113, 76ers 85: At Cleveland, reserve Caris Levert scored 22 points for Cleveland, which led by a season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter while improving to 9-1 at home.