Banged-up Celtics hold off 76ers despite losing Brown
With three of Boston’s regular starters out — and Jaylen Brown soon to join them — Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White scored 19 points apiece to lead the Celtics to a 106-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Jayson Tatum had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Boston, which won for the fourth time in five games to improve the NBA’s best record (39-16). The 76ers (3419) are second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference, having lost both matchups with the Celtics this season.
Joel Embiid scored 28 points and James Harden added 26 points and 11 assists for the Sixers, who lost their second in a row. They had won nine of their previous 11.
Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Al Horford all missed the game with injuries. Blake Griffin got the start and hit five 3-pointers for a seasonhigh 15 points, and Grant Williams had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Brown, who missed the previous game with an illness, exited after colliding with Tatum under the basket when they were both going for an offensive rebound.
Brown appeared to take Tatum’s elbow in the left side of his head. The team announced at the start of the third quarter that he had a facial contusion and would not return.
HEAT 116, PACERS 111 » Bam Adebayo tied his season high with 38 points, Jimmy Butler added 25 and Miami held off Indiana.
Gabe Vincent had 17 points, Tyler Herro scored 15 and Caleb Martin finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who
snapped a two-game slide.
Buddy Hield scored 29 points for the Pacers, who have lost 13 of 15. Myles Turner had 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Tyrese Haliburton had 10 assists for the Pacers, but was held to 11 points — 32 fewer than he scored at Miami on Dec. 23. His 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds left got Indiana within three, but Adebayo sealed it with two free throws. CAVALIERS 113, PISTONS 85 » Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and Cleveland topped Detroit for its fourth straight victory despite resting its starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries, but the Cavaliers barely missed their top guards.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter. The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third
before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
Allen added 14 rebounds as the Cavs outrebounded the Pistons 48-32 and held them to their lowest point total this season.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 points for Detroit. The Pistons have dropped nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.
RAPTORS 112, SPURS 98 » Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 and Toronto handed San Antonio its 10th consecutive loss.
Chris Boucher added 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in Toronto’s third straight win. Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 for the Raptors, who have won their past five meetings with the Spurs.
Keldon Johnson had 22 points for San Antonio, which hasn’t won since Jan. 17 against Brooklyn. It’s the second time this season the Spurs have dropped at least
10 straight.
WIZARDS 118, HORNETS 104 »
Kristaps Porzingis scored 36 points and matched a career high with eight 3-pointers as Washington beat Charlotte to stop a three-game skid.
Deni Avdija had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Bradley Beal added 17 points and 10 assists for the Wizards, who handed the Hornets their fifth straight loss.
Porzingis scored 18 points in the third quarter and finished with nine rebounds.
P.J. Washington had 20 points and Terry Rozier scored 19 for Charlotte. KINGS 130, ROCKETS 128 » De’Aaron Fox had 31 points, including three free throws with less than a second left, to lift Sacramento to a win over Houston.
Fox missed a 3-pointer with .3 seconds left. But Eric Gordon fouled him to set up the game-winning free throws.
Fox, who added 11 assists, made consecutive baskets to get the Kings within 1 with 42.2 seconds to go.