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.”

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.

“Giannis is a child,” Brown said afterward. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win.”

Victory 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.”

The Bucks led 69-58 at half time but the Celtics grabbed a 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.”

In a showdown of Western Conference contenders, Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 36 points, hitting 7-of-13 three-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 three-point play with 7.1 seconds remaining to give Miami a 95-94 victory at Minnesota.

Jaden McDaniels tipped in a three-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 three-point shot to seal Miami’s triumph, which snapped a three-game Heat losing skid and three-game T-Wolves win streak.

- Jokic, LeBron get wins -

In another late thriller, Michael Porter’s basket with 6.1 seconds remaining gave the Denver Nuggets a 122-120 home victory over Dallas.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic had a triple double with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists to lead Denver while Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 43 points for the Mavericks.

Also producing a triple double was LeBron James, who scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and distributed 16 assists to spark the Los Angeles Lakers over visiting Toronto 123-103.

With forward Kevin Durant out due to a left calf strain, the Phoenix Suns fell to 8-2 with a 127-118 overtime loss to visiting Sacramento.

Keegan Murray tipped in a missed shot by DeMar DeRozan with 3.2 seconds remaining to give the Kings a 111-110 lead but Devin Booker’s free throw lifted the Suns level to force overtime.

DeRozan, who had a game-high 34 points, scored eight consecutive points for a 119-113 Kings edge and the Suns never led again.

Bradley Beal scored 28 to lead Phoenix, whose win streak ended at seven.

The NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers outlasted visiting Charlotte for a 107-105 overtime victory, improving to 2-7 on the season.

LaMelo Ball’s three-pointer with eight seconds remaining lifted Charlotte level at 97-97 to force overtime.

In overtime, 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.

At Indianapolis, Bennedict Mathurin scored 38 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 35 to lead the Indiana Pacers over New York 132-121.

Orlando had 23 points from Franz Wagner in a 121-94 home rout of Washington while Houston edged host Detroit 101-99 behind Alperen Sengun’s 27 points. Memphis routed host Portland 134-89.

– © AFP 2024