Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics dominated the hardwood on Tuesday, delivering a decisive 122-118 additional time victory over the Los Angeles Lakers regardless of a valiant fourth-quarter surge by LeBron James and his squad.
The Celtics bounced again from defeats to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco and the Clippers in Los Angeles, however they wanted each ounce of power and can to keep away from their first three-game shedding streak this season.
“Oh, man, last game of the road trip, we’ve been going for, like, 13 days, the second night of a back-to-back,” Tatum mentioned. “But we discovered a manner.
“We needed that,” added Tatum, whose 44 factors included a game-tying turnaround jumper over LeBron James that despatched the competition to additional time. “We found a way to get back on track.”
Jaylen Brown added 25 factors and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Marcus Smart scored 18 factors for the Celtics, who appeared headed to victory once they took a 20-point lead on Tatum’s floater with 6:57 left within the third quarter.
But the Lakers, with 37 factors from Anthony Davis and 33 from James, roared again, placing collectively an 18-0 run from late within the third that was capped by a James three-pointer that put Los Angeles up by 4 with 8:55 remaining within the fourth quarter.
The Lakers pushed their result in 13 factors earlier than the weary Celtics might reply.
Russell Westbrook put the Lakers up by 4 with two fast baskets to open additional time, however the Celtics scored on 4 straight possessions to take the lead for good.
“It was big,” Tatum mentioned of the win, which pushed Boston’s league-best report to 22-7. “(It) showed the character of our team.”
The Milwaukee Bucks stayed on the Celtics’ heels atop the East, bettering to 20-7 with a 128-111 victory over reigning champions Golden State.
The Warriors, coming off their convincing victory over the Celtics, once more discovered themselves inexplicably struggling on the street.
They fell to 2-12 away from residence, 14-14 general, in a testy encounter between the final two NBA champions that noticed the pissed off Warriors assessed 5 technical fouls.
Three of these got here within the first quarter when Stephen Curry was livid on the lack of a foul name when he was taking pictures a three-pointer and head coach Steve Kerr continued the argument to earn a “T.”
“I was already mad at several non-calls in the paint,” Kerr mentioned. “I felt we have been on the unsuitable finish of issues to begin the sport. And then Steph Curry will get hit on the pinnacle on a three-point shot.
“That needs to be called,” Kerr mentioned.
Trailing by 14 early within the second quarter, the Warriors pulled inside six earlier than the Bucks closed the primary half on a 6-0 scoring run to a 12-point halftime lead.
The third quarter introduced no reduction, the Bucks leaping to a 26-point lead halfway by means of the interval.
Milwaukee, led by 30 factors and 12 rebounds from Antetokounmpo, out-scored the Warriors 48-30 within the paint and out-rebounded them 55-37.
Embiid powers 76ers
Elsewhere, Joel Embiid scored 31 factors and James Harden and Tobias Harris added 21 apiece because the 76ers thumped the Sacramento Kings 123-103 in Philadelphia.
The 76ers took management with 80 factors within the first half and have been by no means threatened after the interval.
Two nights after his 53-point outburst in a win towards Charlotte, Embiid related on 10 of 16 pictures from the ground to steer the Sixers to their third straight victory.
The Utah Jazz ended the New Orleans Pelicans’ seven-game win streak, downing the Western Conference leaders 121-100.
Malik Beasley scored 21 factors off the bench to steer the Jazz, draining 5 of their 15 three-pointers.
It was an emotional night time in Houston, the place head coach Stephen Silas returned to the sideline two days after his father’s dying. Three-time NBA champion and longtime NBA coach Paul Silas.
The Rockets handed the reeling Phoenix Suns a fifth straight defeat, 111-97.
The injury-plagued Suns bought extra unhealthy news in that division as beginning middle Deandre Ayton and guard Cameron Payne left the sport with accidents.
