IRVING HAS TRIPLEDOUBLE, CELTICS BEAT KINGS 126-120
» Kyrie Irving had 31 BOSTON points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds and the Boston Celtics overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 126-120 on Thursday night.
It was Irving’s second career triple-double. His first was with Cleveland on Feb. 28, 2014, against Utah.
Jaylen Brown added 22 points, and Marcus Morris had with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
It was Boston’s second victory over Sacramento in eight days, and the Celtics’ fourth win in five games overall.
Buddy Hield led Sacramento with 34 points. The Kings lost for the 11th straight time in Boston.
Raptors 111, Lakers 98. TORONTO» Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Norman Powell had 20 and Toronto beat Los Angeles.
LeBron James scored 29 points and Alex Caruso had a careerhigh 16 for Los Angeles. The struggling Lakers lost for the sixth time in seven games, further denting their fading playoff hopes.
Pascal Siakam scored 16 points and Marc Gasol added 15 to help Toronto win its ninth consecutive meeting with the Lakers, extending a franchise record. The Raptors also set a franchise record with their 20th victory of the season against a Western Conference opponent.
Pacers 108, Tunder 106. INDIANAPOLIS» Wesley Matthews tipped in a basket with 1.8 seconds left and Indiana overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Oklahoma City.
Domantas Sabonis scored 26 points against his former team, and the Pacers won their second straight by erasing the Thunder’s lead in the final 15 minutes. Indiana’s magic number for clinching a playoff spot is one.
Paul George led the Thunder with 36 points in his second trip back to Indianapolis since a blockbuster trade in July 2017. Russell Westbrook added 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Magic 120, Cavaliers 91.
FLA.» Aaron Gordon ORLANDO, scored 21 points, D.J. Augustin added 20 points and seven assists and Orlando routed Cleveland.
Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. They won for only the second time in six games while chasing the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Collin Sexton scored 23 points for Cleveland.