Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points to fuel the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers in a 123-116 come-from-behind statement win over the reigning NBA champion Celtics in Boston on Friday. The Cavs posted their ninth straight victory, withstanding Boston star Jayson Tatum’s near triple-double of 46 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists. Darius Garland scored 20 points, and Evan Mobley added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which took the lead for the first time on Mobley’s three-pointer with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter.
Boston star Jaylen Brown — who scored 37 points — tied it up at 114-114 with 3:15 remaining, but Mitchell responded with a pair of driving baskets, and the Cavaliers held on for a win that pushed their league-best record to 49-10 — 7.5 games ahead of Boston atop the Eastern Conference. “It’s a measuring stick,” Mitchell said of the gritty win over the defending champs, who beat Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs last season. “These guys have won a championship and we want to continue to get to where they’re at.”
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Despite the absence of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, Boston burst out of the gate — roaring to a 25-3 lead in less than six minutes. Tatum scored 18 points in the opening quarter as the Celtics outscored the Cavs 38-26. But Cleveland had already steadied the ship and pulled within two points midway through the second period before Boston pulled away again to lead 74-64 at halftime. The Celtics pushed their lead to as many as 17 midway through the third quarter, but still, the Cavaliers wouldn’t go away. “The biggest thing is we fought,” Mitchell said. “The biggest thing is just resiliency.”
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic celebrated his 26th birthday by scoring a game-high 31 points in the Lakers’ 106-102 victory over the LA Clippers. LeBron James added 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who repelled a late challenge from a Clippers team led by Ivica Zubac’s 27 points and 16 rebounds.
It was smooth sailing for Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City in Atlanta, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead the Thunder to a 135-119 victory over the Hawks. Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams scored 20 points apiece for Oklahoma City, with Dort drilling six of the Thunder’s 23 three-pointers.
The Denver Nuggets, fueled by Nikola Jokic’s 28th triple-double of the season, ended the Pistons’ eight-game winning streak with a 134-119 victory in Detroit. Jokic, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 23 points with 17 rebounds and 15 assists before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. Denver guard Jamal Murray led all scorers with 31 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 28 for the Nuggets. Malik Beasley scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Pistons, as star guard Cade Cunningham was held to 11 on a tough night for Detroit’s starters.
New York’s OG Anunoby drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 5.3 seconds remaining as the Knicks beat the Grizzlies 114-113 in Memphis. Walker Kessler was the hero for Utah, driving for a game-winning dunk with 9.7 seconds left in the Jazz’s 117-116 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota was without star Anthony Edwards as he served a one-game suspension after accumulating 16 technical fouls this season.
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