NBA: Tatum leads the Celtics on the Hornets, the Bucks hit the tenth straight win
Jayson Tatum scored 41 points to propel the Boston Celtics to a 127-116 NBA victory over Charlotte on Friday, while Giannis Antetokounmpo guided Milwaukee to a 10th straight victory.
Jayson Tatum (24) had his eighth 40-point game of the season. But even though Jaylen Brown was ruled out with a fractured face and Al Horford with a sore knee, he didn’t have to shoulder the offensive burden alone. Derrick White (28) had a career-high 33 points and dished 10 assists. The Celtics made a franchise-record 16 three-pointers in the first half, and even when the Hornets put together a 15-0 run in the third quarter, Boston’s lead remained in double digits. Tatum, 24, hit five from beyond the arc and became the first NBA player to make 1,000 three-point shots before his 25th birthday.
Jayson Tatum
AFP
The Celtics improved their league record to 40-16 and held a one game lead over the Bucks atop the Eastern Conference. For the second straight night, Giannis Antetokounmpo (28) made a splash in Los Angeles, following up a 38-point performance against the Lakers with 35 points in a 119-106 win over the Clippers. An aggressive Antetokounmpo immediately set the right tone, dominating and making 13 of his 25 shots from the field. The attention he imposed on the Clippers’ defense allowed his teammates opportunities from outside, and the Bucks finished with 17 three-point shots.
The Philadelphia 76ers, third in the East, avenged Sunday’s humiliating loss in New York with a 119-108 home triumph over the Knicks. Philadelphia star Joel Embiid (28) had 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey added 27 points off the bench as the Sixers rallied from a 13-point deficit.
In Miami, Jimmy Butler (33) made the game-winner with three-tenths of a second left in the Heat’s win over the Houston Rockets (97-95). Tyler Herro led the Heat with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Bam Adebayo added 20 points.
Kyrie Irving (30), in just his second game after the Brooklyn-to-Dallas trade, scored 25 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the Mavs to a 122-114 victory over the Kings in Sacramento. Luka Doncic was sidelined with a heel contusion, but the Mavs are hoping he can partner Irving for the first time when they play the Kings again on Saturday.
ALL RESULTS
