Celtics defeat Pistons behind Brown, White
BOSTON – Jaylen Brown scored 31 points in three quarters, Derrick White posted his first career triple-double and the NBA-best Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 119-94.
Boston star Jayson Tatum missed the game because of a right ankle injury, but the Celtics had more than enough to make up for the absence of their leading scorer (27.1 points a game) and rebounder (8.3).
White had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He completed his triple-double when he passed to Payton Pritchard, who hit a 3-pointer with 6:25 to play.
Pritchard had 23 points in the Celtics’ sixth straight victory.
Boston forward Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing five games with a strained right hamstring. He had 20 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes.
Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 21 points. Cade Cunningham, who averages a team-high 22.2 points per game, rested for left knee injury management.
CAVALIERS 108, PACERS 103
INDIANAPOLIS – Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 23 points and a short-handed Cleveland defeated the Indiana 108-103.
Cleveland led by as many as nine in the final quarter before Indiana pulled even with 2:05 remaining. LeVert drove baseline then pulled up and swished a 9-foot fadeaway jumper to regain the lead. The Pacers didn’t score again.
LeVert had 11 assists and eight rebounds. Allen had nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers were without three starters including guard Donovan Mitchell, who averages a team-high 27.4 points but was a late scratch with a left knee bruise. The absences necessitated signing veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr. to a 10-day contract. Morris scored 14 off the bench.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. Reserve guard T.J. McConnell scored 14.
76ERS 98, HEAT 91
PHILADELPHIA – Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and 10 assists and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help Philadelphia hold off Miami Heat 98-91 in a potential preview of an NBA play-in tournament game.
Kyle Lowry survived a hard tumble over the scorer’s table and scored 16 points for the Sixers in his first game against the Heat since they traded him in January.
Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Terry Rozier III scored 20 points.
BULLS 110, TRAIL BLAZERS 107
CHICAGO – DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Nikola Vucevic made a key hook shot with 9.3 seconds left, helping the Chicago edge Portland 110107.
Vucevic had 22 points and nine rebounds in Chicago’s third win in four games. Ayo Dosunmu finished with 23 points and 10 assists.
Anfernee Simons scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter for Portland, but he missed a 3 from the top of the key as time expired. Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 15 rebounds in his sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 114, JAZZ 104
SALT LAKE CITY – Anthony Edwards had 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Minnesota over the Utah 114-104.
Naz Reid added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting but did not play after halftime due to a head injury. Reid’s absence further depleted a Minnesota frontcourt already missing Rudy Gobert and KarlAnthony Towns because of injuries.
The Timberwolves scored 27 points off 17 turnovers and beat Utah for the second time in three days.
Collin Sexton led Utah with 24 points. Lauri Markkanen had 22 points and 12 rebounds following a six-game absence due to a bruised right quadriceps. Keyonte George added 15 points and eight assists.
John Collins had 11 points and six rebounds for the Jazz in three quarters.
Collins did not play in the fourth while being evaluated for a concussion.
KNICKS 119, WARRIORS 112
SAN FRANCISCO – Jalen Brunson scored 34 points and Miles McBride added a career-high 29 to lead New York to its fourth straight win.
The Knicks raced out to an 18-4 lead early in the game and never trailed as they earned just their fifth win in their last 19 meetings against the Warriors.
Josh Hart had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double in the past 21 games for New York, while playing all 48 minutes. Donte DiVincenzo added 18 points for the Knicks.
Stephen Curry scored 27 points to lead Golden State and Trayce JacksonDavis added 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors fell to 17-18 at home this season.
LAKERS 136, HAWKS 105
LOS ANGELES – LeBron James had 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell scored 27 points while tying the Lakers’ singleseason record for 3-pointers in a 136-105 victory over Atlanta.
Russell’s six 3-pointers against the Hawks gave him 183 this season, passing Kobe Bryant’s 180 in the 2005-06 season and tying Nick Van Exel’s franchise record set in 1994-95. Jalen Johnson scored 25 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 for the Hawks, who have lost four of five overall and three of four on their West Coast road trip.
KINGS 121, GRIZZLIES 111, OT
SACRAMENTO – Malik Monk scored 12 of his 28 points in overtime, Domantas Sabonis had his 50th straight double-double and Sacramento beat Memphis. Monk added six rebounds and six assists as the Kings improved to 5-1 in overtime. Sabonis finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox had 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. GG Jackson scored the first basket of overtime to put Memphis in front before Monk scored eight in a row and assisted a dunk by Sabonis as part of a 12-0 run as the Kings outscored the Grizzlies 16-6 in the extra period.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points on 8-of-27 shooting. Desmond Bane added 24 points, and GG Jackson had 22.