Jayson Tatum had 40 points, 12 returns and eight assists to help Boston Celtics expand their winning line to four matches by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 111-101 on Saturday night.
It was Tatum’s fourth match with at least 40 points this season. He was 12 out of 28 from the field and played 45 minutes.
Jaylen Brown added 31 points and six returns for Celtics, which also received 14 points and nine returns from Al Horford.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 34 points and eight returns. He made 5 out of 10 3-point attempts. The loss ended the Lakers eight-game winning row.
Lebron James had 22 points and 14 returns, but he missed each of his six shots behind the 3-point line. James left the game with a groin trunk during the fourth quarter and did not return. Austin Reaves (16 points) was the only other Laker who scored in double numbers.
Hornets 105, Nets 102
Miles Bridges poured 26 points and Charlotte closed the match by scoring the last 12 points to rally visit Brooklyn.
Nick Smith Jr. Scored 19 points and Moussa Diabate added 16 points and 15 returns to help Hornets snap a nine-game losing line and beat Nets for the first time in four meetings this season.
D’Angelo Russell picked up 28 points and Ziare Williams 29 for Nets, which has lost seven straight.
Rockets 146, Pelicans 117
Dillon Brooks got a gaming high 27 points, Aaron Holiday added 20 from the bench and Amen Thompson flirted with a triple double when Houston opened a six-game home and a wire-to-wire victory over New Orleans.
Rockets shot 55.6 percent in total, including 17 out of 40 behind the 3-point short. Seven players made in double figures for Houston on their way to a season’s high score in total.
Zion Williamson counted 20 points for the Pelicans. CJ McCollum added 17 points while Jose Alvarado paired 17 points with seven assists from the bench. New Orleans lost for the fourth time in five matches.
HAWKS 120, PACERS 118
Trae Young had Team Highs on 36 points and eight assists and helped Atlanta to defeat to visit Indiana.
Caris Leildrt added 26 points on 10-AV-17 shooting from the bench, and Onyka Okongwu collected 16 points and 16 returns. Dyson Daniels added 10 points and five steals when the hawks won their second match against Pacers in three days.
Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 30 points from the bench, followed by Starter Pascal Siakams 23. Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner scored 14 points per piece, and Andrew Nembhard published 11 points and 12 assists. Thomas Bryant chipped in 10 points for Pacers.
Wizards 118, Raptors 117
Jordan Poole returned after missing three matches with an elbow injury to get 34 points and visiting Washington defeated Toronto.
Washington had to wait for a review that decided that Jamal Shead’s shot that could have won the match for Toronto did not beat the summer. Bilal Coulibaly added 18 points for the magicians, who have won two straight. Khris Middleton and Corey Kispert each got 12 points. Richaun Holmes had 10 points and 11 returns, and Alex Sarr had 10 points and 14 returns.
RJ Barrett scored 23 points and Jakob Poeltl made 21 for Toronto. Scottie Barnes added 18 points for Raptors. Jared Rhodod scored 13 points, Shead and Jamison Battle each got an 11 point.
Bulls 114, Heat 109
Josh Giddey recorded his third triplefeld of the season and met a 3-second point with 16 seconds left when he visited Chicago gathered from a 17-point deficit to beat Miami.
Giddey had 26 points, 10 returns and 12 assists for Chicago, which surpassed Miami 36-20 during the fourth quarter. Coby White scored 21 points, Zach Collins contributed 18 points and 15 returns, three Jones added 15 points, Fedas Buzelis had 13 and Kevin Huerter chipped in 11 from the bench.
Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo scored 22 points per piece for Miami, who shot 1 of 11 (9.1 percent) during the fourth quarter. The heat fell a season-low five matches below .500. Tyler Herro scored 21 points, Terry Rozier scored 15 points on five 3-points, Duncan Robinson posted 12 points, and Kel’el Ware had seven points and 12 returns.
Warriors 115, Pistons 110
Stephen Curry had 32 points and hit a large milestone with 25,000 career points when Golden State dropped Detroit in San Francisco.
Jimmy Butler delivered 26 points, nine returns and five assists for Warriors, who won for the 11th time in 13 matches. Draymond Green had 12 points-Including a late important 3-pointer together with nine returns and seven assists. Gui Santos had 15 points and six returns while Moses Moody added 12 points.
Cade Cunningham led the pistons with 31 points but also committed nine sales. Malik Beasley had 17 points and Tobias Harris contributed 15 with 12 returns. Jalen Duren added 13 points with 13 returns.
-Field level media
