Barrett lifts Knicks past Hornets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — RJ Barrett scored 30 points and the New York Knicks made 20 3-pointers to beat Charlotte 121-106 on Wednesday night, snapping the Hornets’ five-game winning streak.

Obi Toppin had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Alec Bunks chipped in with 17 points for the Knicks, who have won three of five.

Playing without Julius Randle, who sat out with right quadriceps tendon soreness, the Knicks shot 20 of 45 from beyond the arc against a Hornets team that was slow on closeouts.

LaMelo Ball had 32 points and nine rebounds and Terry Rozier scored 18 points for the Hornets.

Charlotte entered the night one game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference but never led against the Knicks, who are 11th in the East. New York opened a 40-24 lead in the first quarter, shooting 68.2% from the field while making eight 3pointers.

The Hornets couldn’t recover.

New York entered the fourth quarter up 12 before Isaiah Thomas’ 3-pointer cut the lead to eight with 7:07 left, giving Charlotte some momentum. But the Knicks kept their composure and Toppin provided back-to-back dunks in the final two minutes — one off a lob from Taj Gibson — to seal the victory.

CELTICS 125, JAZZ 97

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum scored 11 of his 26 points during Boston’s nearly perfect first quarter to help the Celtics roll to a 125-97 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Jaylen Brown also added 26 points and Marcus Smart finished with a career-high 13 assists as Boston recorded its fifth straight victory to improve its chances for one of the Eastern Conference’s top four seeds.

Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points but Utah has lost consecutive games for the first time since the end of January, a span of 21 games.

Boston hit its first 10 shots of the game, including six 3-pointers, on the way to jumping out to a 28-12 lead. Its first miss didn’t come until the 4:05 mark of the opening quarter when a layup by Brown rolled off the rim.

It was one of the few miscues for the Celtics, who ended the period with a 39-24 lead. They went 15 of 19 from the field, 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and held a 12-2 rebounding edge.

The lead grew as high as 30 in the second quarter and Boston took a 68-45 advantage into halftime. Smart ended the half with 10 assists in just 15 minutes of action.

The Jazz tried their best to keep pace, but simply couldn’t get enough shots to fall. They particularly struggled from the outside, going 8 of 36 from the 3point line. Utah also had only 13 assists on 35 made baskets.

Utah never got closer than 18 in the second half.

GRIZZLIES 132, NETS 120

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Desmond Bane scored 23 points, including nine straight as Memphis rebuilt its lead in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies beat Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets 132-120 on Wednesday night.

Irving scored 43 points and Kevin Durant had 35 points and 11 rebounds.

Still banned from playing home games because of a New York City vaccine mandate, Irving was on the court for the first time since scoring 60 points at Orlando eight days earlier.

But that arrangement for Irving, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, is coming to an end. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is set to lift the mandate for athletes and performers.

Memphis was the shorthanded home team this time with leading scorer Ja Morant sidelined because of right knee soreness. But they got enough offense anyway thanks to reserve De’Anthony Melton, who matched Bane’s 23 points, and Dillon Brooks, who finished with 21. The Grizzlies have won six of seven and are second in the Western Conference.

Memphis squandered a double-digit lead in the second half but pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Brooklyn 29-16.

The Grizzlies lead 76-62 at halftime and by 15 points early in the third quarter, but Brooklyn relied on Durant and Irving to chip away. Brooklyn made 16 of 22 shots in the period and led 104-103 entering the fourth.