Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 30 points and the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Indiana Pacers 140-122 on Friday in Indianapolis.
Brown scored at least 30 points for the eighth consecutive game. Larry Bird holds the franchise record for consecutive games with at least 30 points (nine in the 1984-85 season).
Payton Pritchard added 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who trailed by 15 points in the first quarter. Sam Hauser, coming off the bench, scored 23 points. Boston also received 21 points, five rebounds and six assists from point guard Derrick White.
Indiana suffered its seventh consecutive loss and its fourth at home, giving it the worst record in the league, 6-25. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 18 points and eight assists, but committed a game-high five turnovers.
Calor 126, Hawks 111
Norman Powell scored 25 points and second-year forward Pelle Larsson added a career-high 21 as Miami pulled away late from Atlanta to snap a three-game losing streak.
With Tyler Herro (toe) and Bam Adebayo (late sideline with lower back pain) unavailable, the Heat put six players in double figures with Andrew Wiggins contributing 18 points, Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring 16 each and Nikola Jovic scoring 10 in his first game after sitting out six games with an elbow bruise.
Trae Young recorded a game-high 30 points for the Hawks, while Jalen Johnson had 24 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for his 12th consecutive double-double, the longest streak in the NBA this season. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 points for Atlanta, which lost for the fifth straight time and ninth in its last 11 games.
Magos 138, Raptors 117
Kyshawn George scored 23 points to help Washington overtake visiting Toronto, allowing the Wizards to overtake the Pacers for the NBA’s worst record.
CJ McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly each added 21 points for the Wizards, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Brandon Ingram’s 29 points paced the Raptors, while Immanuel Quickley scored 25 and Ja’Kobe Walter added 15 off the bench. Toronto suffered its third loss in four games.
Bulls 109, 76ers 102
Coby White scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Zach Collins and Tre Jones each had 15 points to lead Chicago to victory against visiting Philadelphia.
Chicago won for the fifth straight time thanks to a 13-2 run to close out the game. Joel Embiid (31 points), Tyrese Maxey (27) and Paul George (15) kept Philadelphia afloat before the team faded down the stretch. The 76ers made 23.8% of their shots in the fourth quarter and 37.6% in the game.
Josh Giddey had a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists for the Bulls. Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith each grabbed eight rebounds to help Chicago finish +6 in rebounding. Smith scored 12 points and Buzelis added 10.
Grizzlies 125, Bucks 104
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and blocked five shots, Cam Spencer added 19 points and Ja Morant made a triumphant return for Memphis in a victory over visiting Milwaukee.
Morant finished with 17 points, 10 assists and a steal, and the Grizzlies won their eighth straight game against the Bucks. Morant, whose injury status was upgraded to questionable before tip-off, had missed the previous four games with a sprained left ankle suffered Dec. 15 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Milwaukee, which lost for the sixth time in eight games, was led by AJ Green with 20 points. He scored six triples. Kevin Porter Jr. added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Bobby Portis (12 rebounds), Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins finished with 15 points each.
Hornets 120, Magic 105
Charlotte made 19 of 39 3-point shots and earned a victory over host Orlando, but also lost rookie standout Kon Knueppel to a potentially major ankle injury.
Knueppel, who scored 16 points and four 3-pointers in just 15 minutes, severely sprained his ankle on an opponent’s foot while searching for a rebound. LaMelo Ball led seven Hornets in double figures with 22 points and five assists.
Anthony Black scored 24 points to lead the Magic. Wendell Carter Jr. scored 16, Desmond Bane contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds, Jase Richardson scored 14 off the bench and Paolo Banchero scored 13.
Soles 115, Pelicans 108
Devin Booker scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and Mark Williams added 10 in the period as visiting Phoenix held off New Orleans.
Booker, who finished with a game-high 30 points, and Williams, who scored 24 points, carried the Suns through a closely contested final period, including the decisive 18-8 run in the final 4:49.
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 20 points, contributing to New Orleans’ 60 points off the bench in the game. Jordan Poole scored 19 points, but only made 2 of 11 three-pointers.
–Field level media
