NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown lead Celtics to a 145-108 rout of the Clippers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Jaylen Brown added 24 and the Boston Celtics kicked off their Christmas weekend in Southern California with a 145-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Jaylen Brown added 24 points and Jrue Holiday had 20 points and seven assists. At 22-6, Boston remained tied with Minnesota for the overall NBA lead after the Timberwolves beat Sacramento on Saturday night.
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The Celtics went 25 of 53 from 3-point range in winning for the seventh time in eight games. Boston shot 52.1% overall in the same arena where it will play a Christmas Day rivalry showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Paul George scored 21 points for Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard for the second consecutive game because of a left hip contusion. Los Angeles has lost both games following a nine-game winning streak.
TIMBERWOLVES 110, KINGS 98
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 34 points and 10 assists, Rudy Gobert added 21 points and 17 rebounds and Minnesota beat Sacramento to remain tied with Boston for the NBA lead.
Jaden McDaniels had 20 points and Kyle Anderson scored 10 for Minnesota in place of star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat out with left knee soreness.
De’Aaron Fox had 27 points and six assists for Sacramento. Domantas Sabonis finished with a triple-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Kings shot 8 of 33 from beyond the arc, the fewest 3-pointers they’ve made in a game this season. Minnesota outrebounded Sacramento 43-40 and forced 11 turnovers.
MAVERICKS 144, SPURS 119
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 39 points in a triple-double and Dallas routed San Antonio after Spurs rookie star Victor Wembanyama was a late scratch when he sprained an ankle during warmups.
Doncic, who had 12 rebounds and recorded his 10th assist just before leaving the game for good at the end of the third quarter, had his 36th 30-point triple-double, one shy of LeBron James for third on the career list.
The Spurs entered the game on a 1-21 skid, and their luck didn’t get any better when Wembanyama stepped on a ball boy’s foot after taking a few steps following a shot before the game. The 19-year-old sensation got his right ankle retaped and wanted to play, but coach Gregg Popovich held the nearly 7-foot-4 Wembanyama out for precautionary reasons.
Jeremy Sochan had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who lost their fourth straight since stopping an 18-game losing streak, which set a franchise record for the second consecutive season.
GRIZZLIES 125, HAWKS 119
ATLANTA (AP) — Ja Morant had 30 points and 11 assists and Memphis beat Atlanta to improve to 3-0 since his return.
Desmond Bane had 37 points for the Grizzlies, who had not won three straight games all season while stumbling to a 6-19 start as Morant served a 25-game suspension for waving a gun multiple times on social media. Bane also had seven rebounds and six assists.
Atlanta’s Trae Young made history in defeat, finishing with 30 points and 13 assists. It was his seventh consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, tying Oscar Robertson for the longest such streak in NBA history. Robertson set the mark in 1964-65.
BUCKS 130, KNICKS 111
NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds and Milwaukee beat New York, opening a two-game series with its seventh straight victory.
Bobby Portis added 23 points and 11 rebound to help the Bucks beat the Knicks for the ninth straight time, They will try to do it again Monday in front of a national TV audience as the leadoff game to the NBA’s Christmas schedule.
Jalen Brunson scored 36 points for New York.
NUGGETS 102, HORNETS 95
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 points, Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Denver held Charlotte Hornets without a field goal for more than 11 minutes in the third quarter.
Jamal Murray added 20 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which opened the second half on a 25-1 run and outscored the Hornets 30-9 in the third quarter.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 22 points. The injury-riddled Hornets have lost seven straight.
WARRIORS 126, TRAIL BLAZERS 106
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 28 points, Stephen Curry had 27 and Golden State beat Portland for its fifth straight victory.
The Splash Brothers combined for 22 points in the third quarter to pace the Warriors to a 12-point advantage to start the fourth. Thompson, who has scored at least 20 points in his last five games after a sluggish start, had 11 straight points in the quarter – hitting back-to-back 3s.
The five-game winning streak matches Golden State’s longest of the season. The Warriors improved to 15-14, their first time over .500 since Nov. 12 as they head into a Christmas showdown at Denver.
