Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Jayson Tatum added 23 as the Boston Celtics thrashed the Milwaukee Bucks 133-101 on Friday to maintain their grip on third place in the NBA Eastern Conference. Tatum added 11 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals before he and Brown sat out the fourth quarter with the game in hand against the reeling Bucks.
Two nights after their 53-point first quarter against Miami, the Celtics got off to another hot start. Eight of their 17 three-pointers came in their 43-point first period, and they led 75-55 by half-time. The Celtics, who have won five of their last six games, maintained their two-and-a-half game lead over the New York Knicks for second place in the East. The Knicks, who have struggled of late against quality teams, had no problem in a 136-96 thrashing of the Chicago Bulls, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
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OG Anunoby scored a game-high 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson added 17 points apiece, with Brunson chipping in 11 rebounds as well. Anunoby connected on nine of 15 shots from the field, including seven of 10 from three-point range. Robinson, starting in place of injured center Karl-Anthony Towns, made all seven of his shots.
The Atlanta Hawks, fifth in the East, cruised past the Brooklyn Nets 141-107, and the Philadelphia 76ers maintained their hold on sixth place in the East — and the final direct entry berth to the playoffs — with a 115-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Paul George scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey chipped in 21, and Joel Embiid returned from a one-game absence due to illness, scoring 19 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists.
With five games left in the regular season, the Sixers remained a fraction ahead of the seventh-placed Toronto Raptors, who beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-96 to stay atop the tightly bunched group jockeying for play-in position. The eighth-placed Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 129-108, and the Orlando Magic, half a game back and clinging to ninth place ahead of the Miami Heat, withstood a spectacular 51-point performance from Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg in a 138-127 victory over the Mavericks.
Flagg, 19, became the first teenager to record a 50-point game in the NBA. He joined Michael Jordan as the only rookies to post multiple games of 45 or more points in their rookie seasons. “He should be Rookie of the Year,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Flagg, who scored 24 points in the fourth quarter. Dallas trailed by 19 entering the final frame and were down by 21 when Kidd was ejected minutes into the period for arguing a non-call when he thought Flagg had been fouled. Flagg himself had received a technical for appealing for a call, and teammate Naji Marshall was ejected moments later, with Flagg seeming only more determined after their departures.
“The things that he’s done, he’s in rare air,” Kidd said of Flagg’s standout first season amid the Mavs’ disappointing results. Despite Flagg’s fireworks, the Magic’s balanced attack was enough to carry the day. Wendell Carter Jr. scored 28 points, and Desmond Bane added 27 as six Orlando players scored in double figures. “It was fun,” Flagg said. “It’s always fun getting into that type of mode. The basket feels big and your teammates are looking out for you, helping you out. But I love to win. That was my main focus, and it’s hard for me to fully enjoy myself when we’re down by 20, down 10, down 15 for the majority of the game.”
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