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The NBA-leading Boston Celtics got enough off their bench to hold off the Philadelphia 76ers 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 each scored 19 points to lead Boston to a 106-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. evening.
Brown, who missed the previous game with a non-COVID illness, left the game after colliding with Jayson Tatum under the basket as they both went for an offensive rebound.
Brown came up to take Tatum’s elbow to the left side of his head. He fell to the ground 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 early in the third quarter that he had a facial concussion and would not be returning. After the game, coach Joe Mazzulla said he had no further information, but Brogdon said Brown appeared to be in pain as he left.
“I called him but he didn’t answer,” Mazzulla said. ‘But I’ll get it as soon as possible. I hope you are good.
An injured Celtics squad beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-99 on Wednesday night.
Tatum had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Boston, which won for the fourth time in five games to join the best record in the NBA (39-16). The 76ers (34-19) are second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference, having lost both meetings 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 straight game. They had won nine of their previous 11.
Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Al Horford all missed the game with injuries. Blake Griffin started and hit a season-high five 3-pointers for 15 points, and Grant Williams had 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 scored 31 points, including three free throws with less than a second left, to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 130-128 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Fox missed a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining. But he was fouled by Eric Gordon to set up the game-winning free throws.
“I don’t want to put him down because he was amazing, but at the end of the day that’s what he gets paid for,” coach Mike Brown said.
He is an All-Star. He’s one of our best players and he has to be able to make plays for us when we need him, especially away from home and that’s what he did.”
De’Aaron Fox (5) made two crucial free throws to win Sacramento’s game over Houston
Fox, who added 11 assists, made back-to-back baskets to pull the Kings within 1 with 42.2 seconds to go.
Jalen Green missed a shot at the other end before the Kings missed three straight shots, but grabbed the rebound each time.
Keegan Murray got the last rebound, but Kenyon Martin Jr. wrestled with him and called a jump ball. Houston received the ball on the jumper with 2.4 seconds to go.
Gordon was fouled after that, but Malik Monk stole Alperen Sengun’s tackle pass to give the Kings the ball with 1.2 seconds left. They called a timeout to set up the final sequence.
A Malik Monk steal helped set up the game-winning ending 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 fuel a 110-104 victory over the host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Irving, who was officially acquired from the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, shot 9 of 17 from the field for his new team while helping take over for an absent Luka Doncic, who missed his third straight game with a heel injury.
The Mavericks have won four of their last five games while awaiting the debut of an Irving-Doncic duo, which could happen as soon as Friday or Saturday, when they play a couple of road games against the Sacramento Kings.
Norman Powell scored 24 points and Terance Mann added 21 for the Clippers, who lost their homecoming. Los Angeles just completed a 4-2 road trip.
TRAIL BLAZERS 125, WARRIORS 122
Damian Lillard had 33 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers topped the Golden State Warriors 125-122 on Wednesday night.
Jordan Poole scored 38 for the Warriors, who played without the injured Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson added 31 points on his 33rd birthday, including seven 3-pointers.
The game was tied at 95 going into the fourth quarter before Anfernee Simons’ layup and free throw gave Portland a 101-97 lead.
Damian Lillard posted a triple-double in the Trail Blazers’ victory over the Warriors
It was back and forth the rest of the way. After Poole’s 3-pointer pulled Golden State within 108-107, Andrew Wiggins scored to put the Warriors in front.
Trendon Watford’s layup for the Blazers tied the game again at 114 with 4:56 left before Jerami Grant’s three-point play gave Portland 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 him. Grant finished with 22 points.
TIMBER WOLVES 143, JAZZ 118
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 victory over Utah on Wednesday night amid news that the Timberwolves, Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were forming part of an eight-player trade hours before the game. NBA trade deadline.
Playing loose, the Timberwolves set a season-high 79 points in the first half and led 107-80 midway through the third quarter, aided by 64% shooting from the field and 61% from 3-point range.
Luka Garza scored a career-high 25 points and the Timberwolves made 23 3-pointers on 54% shooting, tying his highest production of the season.
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points and Collin Sexton had 20 in Utah’s worst home loss of the season.
Anthony Edwards (1) led a demolition of the Utah Jazz behind 31 points on the road
HEAT 116, PACEMAKER 111
Bam Adebayo, Miami’s All-Star center, tied his season high with 38 points, Jimmy Butler added 25 and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 116-111 on Wednesday night to snap a two-game skid.
Adebayo shot 12 of 16 from the field, 14 of 14 from the foul line.
“Bam, obviously, he was very 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 skid.
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 TJ McConnell scored 18.
Bam Adebayo (13) matched his season-high 38 points as the Heat beat the Pacers
CABALLEROS 118, PISTONS 85
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 defense.
Cavaliers forward Caris LeVert, who has been mentioned in rumors leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, struggled for much of the game. He finished with 15 points, 10 in the quarter, on 5-of-16 shooting.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) had the night off to heal from some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely lost their top guards, who are averaging a combined 48.8 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 and rookie Jalen Duren 14 for Detroit. The Pistons have lost nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.
Jarrett Allen (31) led the Cavaliers with 20 points in a win over the Midwestern 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 Spurs their 10th straight 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 had 10 for the Raptors, who have won their last five meetings with the Spurs.
Siakam led Toronto with seven assists and shot 15 of 21, connecting on his first eight attempts. He went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and shot 4 of 5 at the free throw 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 eight 3-pointers, and the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-104 on Wednesday night to snap 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 opened a close game in the third quarter and handed the Hornets their fifth straight loss.
Porzingis scored 18 in the third, including going on a personal 8-2 run in which he hit a 3-pointer, blocked a JT Thor shot attempt and hit three others. he put the Wizards ahead 86-74, his biggest lead to that point.
“A lot of it is in the mind, you know,” Porzingis said. ‘I just knew he was going to shoot the ball well. Even after the first half, I thought, the second half is going down.
Kristaps Porzingis (left) scored 36 points and tied a career high with eight 3-pointers