The NBA-leading Boston Celtics scrounged enough out of their bench to keep the Philadelphia 76ers at bay in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
With three of the Celtics’ regular starters out – and Jaylen Brown soon to join them – Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White scored 19 points apiece to lead Boston to a 106-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Brown, who missed the previous game with a non-COVID illness, left the game after colliding with Jayson Tatum under the basket when they were both going for an offensive rebound.
Brown appeared to take Tatum´s elbow in the left side of his head. He went to the floor and was slow to get up; when he did, he went straight to the locker room, rubbing his left eye and temple.
The team announced at the start of the third quarter that he had a facial contusion and would not return. After the game, coach Joe Mazzulla said he had no more information, but Brogdon said Brown appeared to be in pain when he left.
‘I called him but he didn’t answer,’ Mazzulla said. ‘But I’ll get that ASAP. I hope he’s OK.’
An injured Celtics squad managed to overcome the Philadelphia 76ers 106-99 Wednesday
Tatum had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Boston, which won for the fourth time in five games to add to the NBA´s best record (39-16). The 76ers (34-19) are second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference, having lost both matchups with the Celtics this season.
Joel Embiid scored 28 points and James Harden added 26 points and 11 assists for the Sixers, who lost their second game in a row. They had won nine of their previous 11.
Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Al Horford all missed the game with injuries. Blake Griffin got the start and hit five 3-pointers for a season-high 15 points, and Grant Williams scored 15 points and added eight rebounds.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 28 points in his team’s second loss of the season to Boston
KINGS 130, ROCKETS 128
De’Aaron Fox had 31 points, including three free throws with less than a second left, to lift the Sacramento Kings to a 130-128 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Fox missed a 3-pointer with .3 seconds left. But Eric Gordon fouled him to set up the game-winning free throws.
‘I don’t want to belittle it because he was he was amazing, but at the end of the day that´s what he gets paid to do,’ coach Mike Brown said.Â
‘He’s an All-Star. He’s one of our best players and he’s got to be able to make plays for us when we need him to, especially on the road and that’s what he did.’
De’Aaron Fox (5) sank two crucial free throws to win the game for Sacramento over Houston
Fox, who added 11 assists, made consecutive baskets to get the Kings within 1 with 42.2 seconds to go.
Jalen Green missed a shot on the other end before the Kings missed three straight shots but grabbed the rebound each time.Â
Keegan Murray got the last rebound but Kenyon Martin Jr. battled with him, and a jump ball was called. Houston got the ball on the jump ball with 2.4 seconds to go.
Gordon was fouled after that, but Malik Monk stole the inbound pass from Alperen Sengun to give the Kings the ball with 1.2 seconds left. They called a timeout to set up the final sequence.
A steal from Malik Monk helped to set up the final sequence that won the game for the Kings
MAVERICKS 110, CLIPPERS 104
Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and dished out five assists in his Dallas Mavericks debut and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points to power a 110-104 victory over the host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Irving, who was officially acquired from the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, was 9 of 17 from the field with his new team as he helped pick up the slack for an absent Luka Doncic, who missed his third consecutive game with a heel injury.
The Mavericks have won four of their past five games as they await the debut of an Irving-Doncic duo, which could happen as early as Friday or Saturday, when they play a pair of road games against the Sacramento Kings.
Norman Powell scored 24 points and Terance Mann added 21 for the Clippers, who lost in their return home. Los Angeles just completed a 4-2 road trip.
TRAIL BLAZERS 125, WARRIORS 122Â
Damian Lillard had 33 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied past the Golden State Warriors 125-122 on Wednesday night.
Jordan Poole scored 38 for the Warriors, who played without injured guard Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson added 31 points on his 33rd birthday, including seven 3-pointers.
The game was tied at 95 going into the final quarter before Anfernee Simons’ layup and free throw gave Portland a 101-97 lead.
Damian Lillard grabbed a triple-double in a win for the Trail Blazers over the Warriors
It was back and forth the rest of the way. After Poole’s 3-pointer got Golden State within 108-107, Andrew Wiggins scored to put the Warriors in front.
Trendon Watford’s layup for the Blazers evened the game again at 114 with 4:56 left before Jerami Grant’s three-point play gave Portland back the lead. Grant added another layup with 1:54 left to make it 119-114.
Lillard hit free throws down the stretch and Golden State couldn’t catch up. Grant finished with 22 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 143, JAZZ 118
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah on Wednesday night amid word the Timberwolves, Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were part of an eight-player swap hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline.Â
Playing loose, the Timberwolves set a season high with 79 points in the first half and led 107-80 midway through the third quarter, helped by 64% shooting from the field and 61% from 3-point range.Â
Luka Garza scored a career-high 25 points and the Timberwolves made 23 3-pointers at a 54% shooting clip, tying their highest output of the season.Â
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points and Collin Sexton had 20 in Utah´s worst home loss of the season.Â
Anthony Edwards (1) led a demolition of the Utah Jazz behind 31 points on the road
HEAT 116, PACERS 111Â
Bam Adebayo, Miami’s All-Star center, tied his season high with 38 points, Jimmy Butler added 25 and the Heat held off the Indiana Pacers 116-111 on Wednesday night to snap a two-game slide.
Adebayo was 12 of 16 from the field, 14 of 14 from the foul line.
‘Bam, obviously, was really good on both ends of the court,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Gabe Vincent had 17, Tyler Herro scored 15 and Caleb Martin finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who snapped a two-game slide.
Buddy Hield scored 29 points for Indiana, which has lost 13 of its last 15 games. Myles Turner had 23 points and 11 rebounds, while T.J. McConnell scored 18.
Bam Adebayo (13) matched his season high of 38 points as the Heat downed the Pacers
CAVALIERS 118, PISTONS 85Â
Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
Cavaliers swingman Caris LeVert, who has been mentioned in rumors leading into Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, struggled for much of the game. He finished with 15 points – 10 in the fourth – on 5-of-16 shooting.Â
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 and rookie Jalen Duren 14 for Detroit. The Pistons have dropped nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.Â
Jarrett Allen (31) led the Cavaliers with 20 points in a win over the Midwest-rival Pistons
RAPTORS 112, SPURS 98
Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and the Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio 112-98 on Wednesday night, handing the struggling Spurs their 10th consecutive loss.
Chris Boucher had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in Toronto´s third straight win.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points, and Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa each scored 10 for the Raptors, who have won the past five meetings with the Spurs.
Siakam led Toronto with seven assists and shot 15 for 21, connecting on his first eight attempts. He went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and shot 4 of 5 at the foul line.
Pascal Siakam (43) led the Raptors with a double-double in a win over the lowly Spurs
WIZARDS 118, HORNETS 104
Kristaps Porzingis scored 36 points and matched a career high with eight 3-pointers, and the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-104 on Wednesday night to stop a three-game skid.
Deni Avdija had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Bradley Beal had 17 points and 10 assists for the Wizards, who broke open a close game in the third quarter and handed the Hornets their fifth straight loss.
Porzingis scored 18 in the third, including a personal 8-2 run in which he made a 3, blocked a shot attempt by JT Thor and drained another 3. The 7-foot-3 Latvian concluded the burst with a 15-foot jumper to put the Wizards ahead 86-74, their largest lead to that point.
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‘A lot of it is in the mind, you know,’ Porzingis said. ‘I just knew that I was going to shoot the ball well. Even after the first half I was like, second half, it’s going down.’
Kristaps Porzingis (left) scored 36 points and matched a career high with eight 3-pointers
