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The Boston Celtics cemented their lead atop the NBA with a 124-95 win over the host Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Jayson Tatum posted a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, while Jaylen Brown scored 19 points for the NBA-leading Celtics, who bounced back from a 150-117 loss at Oklahoma City as the Thunder lost. 30 points were missing. goalscorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Luka Doncic scored 23 points after averaging 44.5 points in the previous five games. The Mavs superstar didn’t play in the fourth quarter, which began with Boston leading by 24.
Jayson Tatum recorded a triple-double as the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-95
Luka Doncic scored 23 points for the Mavs after averaging 44.5 points in the previous five games
Doncic hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win Boston’s two previous visits to Dallas. There was never a chance for a third, or for the Mavs to extend the longest winning streak since their lone championship season in 2010-11.
Doncic missed all six shots from long range as the Mavericks finished 7-for-32. Doncic was 7-for-23 overall and Dallas finished 38 percent.
Tatum wasn’t much better than Doncic, shooting 8-of-22 from the field, but his teammates were. Boston shot 16 of 43 from 3, with eight players hitting at least one.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points as Boston cemented its lead at the top of the NBA
Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 15 points, with Smart going 4-for-9 from deep while Brogdon was 3-for-5.
The Celtics never trailed past the middle of the first quarter, and Dallas didn’t get closer than 13 after halftime.
Doncic had nine rebounds but was held to three assists as Dallas tied its season-low for assists with 15. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 points and Christian Wood had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
LA CLIPPERS 91-122 DENVER NUGGETS
The Nuggets led as many as 43 in a 122-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers to tie Memphis for first place in the Western Conference on Thursday night.
The Nuggets picked the perfect time to deliver one of their best performances of the season. Denver was picking up the pace and showing why the team is tied with Memphis for first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets shot 50.6 percent from the ground and finished with 28 assists.
It wasn’t even Nikola Jokic who did most of the damage. The two-time reigning NBA MVP had 12 points, six rebounds and nine assists before resting in the fourth quarter.
Jamal Murray (L) fired up Denver early as the Nuggets posted a 122-91 victory over the Clippers
Jamal Murray fired up Denver early by scoring 13 of his 18 points in the first quarter.
Murray was one of seven Denver players to finish in double figures. He made four of the team’s 14 3-pointers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped fuel a 19-0 run in the second quarter to turn the game into a rout.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 123-115 ORLANDO MAGIC
The Western Conference-leading Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Orlando Magic 123-115 on Thursday for their fifth straight win.
Ja Morant scored 32 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Ziaire Williams came off the Memphis bench on 6-of-7 shooting and 16 points.
Paolo Banchero had 30 points and nine rebounds for Orlando. Franz Wagner added 22 points, 19 in a desperate fourth-quarter comeback attempt.
Jackson had 13 points and five rebounds in the Grizzlies’ 43-point second quarter that ended with Memphis leading 65-43.
Ja Morant (right) scored 32 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Orlando Magic 123-115
Banchero scored Orlando’s first 10 points of the second half, but Morant responded with 11 straight for the Grizzlies.
Banchero made three free throws to get the Magic back within 12 late in the third, but Morant closed the period on a short jumper and the Grizzlies reclaimed a 21-point lead on three 3-pointers (two by Williams) early in the fourth. .
Orlando rallied behind Wagner in the fourth quarter and cut the Grizzlies’ lead to six on Caleb Houstan’s 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining. But Morant committed a sixth foul on Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. with 1:21 to play, scoring Memphis’ final three points from the foul line.
Carter finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
UTAH JAZZ 131-114 HOUSTON ROCKETS
Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night that snapped a five-game skid.
Markkanen got off to a fast start with 18 points in the first quarter to help the Jazz take an early lead. Houston took the lead late in the third quarter, but Utah finished that quarter on a 10-0 run to be on top for good.
An 8-2 run cut Utah’s lead to five with about 5 minutes left. Jordan Clarkson hit a 3-pointer shortly thereafter before Markkanen’s tip shot extended the lead to 117-107.
Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a win over Houston.
Jalen Green added a basket for Houston before Markkanen scored the next four points to start a 14-0 run for the Jazz that made it 131-109 and sent the fans to the exits.
After scoring the first four points of the streak, Markkanen added back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of it. Players on the Utah bench rose to their feet and cheered as he hit both and were disappointed when a final 3-point attempt that would have earned him 50 points was misplaced.
Green had 30 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 23 for the Rockets, who lost for the sixth straight time.
Markkanen’s highest-scoring game entering Thursday was 38, which he had done twice, most recently on Dec. 20 against Detroit. He made six 3-pointers and all 13 free throws from him on Thursday night to eclipse his previous best games.