NEW YORK (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 41 points and 14 rebounds, and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics won their fifth straight game by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-110 on Tuesday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Jaylen Brown added 19 points for the Celtics, who improved to 42-12 and will host the Nets on Wednesday in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
Tatum tied his career high for points in a first half with 31 and the Celtics led comfortably much of the way while playing without Kristaps Porzingis because of a lower back contusion.
Al Horford replaced Porzingis and scored 16 points on 6-for-6 shooting. Derrick White also scored 16 and Jrue Holiday had 14 points and 12 assists as the Celtics won their sixth straight in Brooklyn.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points and Cam Thomas had 26 for the Nets, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
THUNDER 127, MAGIC 113
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Williams scored 33 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 32 points and five assists and Oklahoma beat Orlando.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 points during a five-minute stretch of the third quarter in which the Thunder took command of the game, which was played on the night the Magic retired Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32.
Chet Holmgren had 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 points and 10 assists. Wendell Carter Jr. had 22 points and seven rebounds.
HEAT 123, BUCKS 97
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nikola Jovic scored a career-high 24 points, Bam Adebayo had his second triple-double of the season and Miami beat Milwaukee.
Adebayo finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Duncan Robinson added 23 points and shot 6 of 8 from 3-point range for the Heat, who have won five of seven since a seven-game skid. The Heat played their second straight game without Jimmy Butler, who remains on personal leave following the death of a relative.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks but didn’t attempt a free throw all night. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton missed a fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
TIMBERWOLVES 121, TRAIL BLAZERS 109
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 41 points and Minnesota sent Portland to its fifth straight loss.
Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 15 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double. Karl-Anthony Towns, who had foul trouble early, finished with 13 points for the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Blazers, who host Minnesota again on Thursday night.
SUNS 130, KINGS 125
PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 25 and Phoenix outlasted Sacramento.
The Suns erased an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and took a two-point lead into the fourth. The game was tied at 108 and stayed tight the rest of the way. Royce O’Neale’s 3-pointer with 47 seconds left put the Suns up 122-118. De’Aaron Fox responded with a 3 to cut the margin to 122-121 with 41 seconds remaining, but Booker hit a jumper after a timeout for a 124-121 advantage and the Suns made enough free throws on the final possessions to stay in control.
Domantas Sabonis had his third straight triple-double with 35 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists. De’Aaron Fox scored 40 for Sacramento.
Phoenix guard Bradley Beal injured his left hamstring in the first quarter and didn’t return.
LAKERS 125, PISTONS 111
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 25 points and eight assists, Anthony Davis had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Los Angeles beat NBA-worst Detroit for its fifth win in six games.
D’Angelo Russell scored 21 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have won 10 of 15 overall to move three games above .500 (29-26) for the first time since a week before Christmas. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves added 15 points apiece. Spencer Dinwiddie had six points and seven assists in his debut with the Lakers.
Ausar Thompson scored 19 points and James Wiseman had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who had won two of their previous three games for only the third time all season. Team owner Tom Gores, who lives in Beverly Hills, watched from courtside.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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