Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Jayson Tatum delivered 31 points and 12 rebounds to spark the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics over Milwaukee 113-107 on Sunday, despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 43-point performance for the Bucks. The Celtics improved to 9-2, two games behind unbeaten Cleveland in the Eastern Conference, while the host Bucks slid to 2-8.
Payton Pritchard scored 18 points off the Boston bench while Derrick White and former Buck Jrue Holiday each scored 15 points, and Jaylen Brown added 14 for the Celtics. “Team effort,” Holiday said. “It’s not easy doing it by yourself. We did it collectively.” It eased the memory of two lopsided Boston losses in Milwaukee last season. “It’s nice,” Holiday said. “We got blown out twice last year, so getting this win here with my family in the building is awesome.”
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Greek star Antetokounmpo also grabbed 13 rebounds and elbowed Brown to the floor at one point, then offered a hand to help him up only to pull it away when Brown reached for it. The Bucks led 69-58 at half-time, but the Celtics grabbed an 87-84 edge entering the fourth quarter and closed with a 9-5 run to seal the triumph, Tatum scoring seven in the crucial stretch. “We just picked up the intensity,” Holiday said of the third-quarter rally. “We came out, hit shots, not getting too ahead of ourselves, and getting back to Celtics basketball.”
At Indianapolis, Bennedict Mathurin scored 38 points, and Tyrese Haliburton added 35 points and 14 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers over New York 132-121. Jalen Brunson had 33 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who also got 30 points and nine rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.
In a showdown of Western Conference contenders, Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 36 points, hitting 7-of-13 3-point shots, to lead the Warriors in a 127-116 victory at Oklahoma City that left both clubs 8-2. The Thunder, led by 24 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, lost star big man Chet Holmgren in the first quarter with a right hip injury after a fall and being helped off the court.
At Minneapolis, Tyler Herro scored 26 points, and reserve Nikola Jovic made a game-winning 3-point play with 7.1 seconds remaining to give Miami a 95-94 victory at Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels tipped in a 3-point miss by Mike Conley with nine seconds remaining to give the Timberwolves a 94-92 lead, but Jovic answered with a layup and free throw for the deciding points. Conley missed a final 3-point shot to seal Miami’s triumph, which snapped a three-game Heat losing skid and a three-game T-Wolves win streak.
Lowly Sixers win in OT – The NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers outlasted visiting Charlotte for a 107-105 overtime victory, improving to 2-7 on the season. LaMelo Ball’s 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining lifted Charlotte level at 97-97 to force overtime. Kelly Oubre’s two free throws gave the 76ers a 105-104 lead with 58 seconds remaining in overtime, and Caleb Martin added two free throws for the Sixers with two seconds to play. Charlotte’s Grant Williams made a free throw with 0.1 of a second remaining and missed the next in hopes of a game-tying tip-in, but the 76ers grabbed the rebound to win.
Orlando, meanwhile, had 23 points from Franz Wagner in a 121-94 home rout of Washington, which had a game-high 24 points from Jordan Poole. Detroit’s Jaden Ivey missed a go-ahead 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds remaining, and Houston held on for a 101-99 road victory. Alperen Sengun’s 27 points and 10 rebounds led the Rockets (6-4), while the Pistons had 26 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds from Cade Cunningham in a losing cause.
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