Brown scores 29 to lead Celtics to big rout over weary Warriors
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Jayson Tatum had 27 on his 26th birthday, and the Nba-best Boston Celtics posted their third-largest winning margin in franchise history, drubbing the weary Golden State Warriors 140-88 on Sunday.
Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who set a league record with their third win this season by 50 points or more and extended their season-best winning streak to 11 games. Boston led by a franchise-record 44 points at halftime and pushed it to 51 early in the third quarter before coach Joe Mazzulla went to his reserves the rest of the way.
Stephen Curry didn’t play the second half and finished with a season-low four points for Golden State, his fewest since he had three points in 16 minutes on March 16, 2022 at Boston — a game he departed with a foot injury. Curry was 2 of 13 from the field Sunday and missed all nine of his 3-point attempts, including consecutive airballs in the opening quarter.
The Warriors had won 11 of 13, including the first three of their East Coast trip that included three games in four days and a difficult trip to Toronto in which they sat on a tarmac for hours overnight.
Lester Quinones led Golden State with 17 points in a team-high 33 minutes. None of the Warriors’ starters played more than 20 minutes, and Moses Moody (11 points) was the only one to score in double figures.
Boston’s only bigger blowout wins were 133-77 at Chicago on Dec. 8, 2018, and 12875 over visiting Sacramento on Jan. 25, 2022.
Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis missed the game with a bruised left quad.
The game was tied at 21all in the opening quarter before the Celtics scored the next 14 points to begin a 58-13 spree that put them ahead by 35 late in the second quarter.
Brown sparked the run by hitting three straight 3s in a 40-second span, with the Warriors’ Draymond Green playing some interesting defense by leaving him all alone and dropping off by at least five feet several times in the opening quarter.
KNICKS 107, CAVALIERS 98
CLEVELAND — Josh Hart had a triple-double, Donte Divincenzo scored 28 points and New York regrouped to beat Cleveland after losing All-star guard Jalen Brunson in the first minute with a left knee injury.
Hart finished with 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in helping the Knicks cope for one night without Brunson, their latest starter to get hurt.
Brunson was hurt on New York’s first possession. Coming off a screen on the left side, Brunson rose for a jump shot near the foul line when he appeared to feel pain on lift off. He shot an air ball and landed before stumbling and dropping to the floor near the 3-point line in obvious discomfort.
Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen scored 18 apiece for the Cavs.
CLIPPERS 89, TIMBERWOLVES 88
MINNEAPOLIS — Kawhi Leonard had 32 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Minnesota in a physical and defensive game between two of the top four teams in the Western Conference.
Norman Powell matched a season-high with 24 points, and Paul George added 15 points, but shot just 5 of 16 from the field and was 3 of 11 from 3-point range.
The Clippers played without Russell Westbrook after he fractured his left hand in a home victory over Washington on Friday night. Ivica Zubac returned after missing two games with an illness.
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves lost back-toback games for just the third time this season.
SPURS 117, PACERS 105
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead San Antonio Spurs past Indiana.
Wembanyama added six blocks, six assists and a steal while going 3 for 4 on 3-pointers. Malaki Branham had 18 points, and Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each had 17.
T.J. Mcconnell had 26 points for Indiana. The Pacers have lost three of four.
MAGIC 113, PISTONS 91
ORLANDO, Fla. — Paolo Banchero scored 29 points for a second straight game and Orlando beat Detroit for a four-game season sweep.
At 35-26, the Magic surpassed last season’s victory total with 21 games left. Orlando has won 11 of 14 games.
Evan Fournier led Detroit with 17 points. The Pistons are 9-51.
RAPTORS 111, HORNETS 106
TORONTO — Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points and matched his season high with 11 assists, RJ Barrett had 23 points and Toronto beat Charlotte,
Gary Trent Jr. added 17 points and Ochai Agbaji had 13 points and a career-high nine rebounds as the Raptors overcame the absence of Allstar Scottie Barnes after he broke his left middle finger Friday night.
Brandon Miller had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte.