The Boston Celtics got 22 points from Jaylen Brown and held off a late comeback attempt by the Denver Nuggets to hold on for a 110-103 win in Sunday's clash between the last two NBA champions. (More Sports News)
Boston halted a two-game losing streak despite an off-shooting night from top scorer Jayson Tatum, who compiled 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists but was just 4 of 15 from the field, and key starter Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined due to an illness.
Al Horford helped offset Porzingis' absence by putting up 19 points and eight rebounds, however. Derrick White also provided a lift by scoring 17 points on five 3-pointers and a key late floater that helped keep the Nuggets at bay after the 2022-23 NBA champions nearly overcame a 20-point second-half deficit.
Jamal Murray sparked Denver's rally by recording 22 of his 26 points in the second half. Christian Braun added 24 points for the Nuggets, while Nikola Jokić ended just shy of a 29th triple-double this season by finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
The Celtics dominated the first half, as they opened up a 32-20 lead after one quarter behind Brown's 12 points and were up by as many as 20 points late in the second before the Nuggets closed out the period on a 9-2 run to get to within 61-48 at the break.
Boston scored the first seven points of the third quarter, however, to restore a 20-point advantage, and the margin remained in double figures until Denver ended the period on a 10-1 spurt to cut the lead to 83-77 entering the fourth.
The Nuggets got within three points heading into the game's final minute, but White knocked down a key jumper and Horford followed with a key steal and layup to give the Celtics a 106-99 advantage with 33.4 seconds left.
Lakers down Clippers again to extend winning streak to six games
Luka Dončić's 29 points and nine assists kept the Los Angeles Lakers rolling with a 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the latest matchup between the city rivals.
The Lakers matched a season-high with their sixth consecutive win and earned their second over the Clippers in three days, having previously prevailed over their fellow Los Angeles inhabitants by a 106-102 score on Friday.
LeBron James contributed 17 points and nine assists to Sunday's victory. Dalton Knecht added 19 points off the bench for the Lakers, who never trailed at any stage but had a 21-point second-half lead trimmed down to five in the final minutes.
The slumping Clippers lost for the fifth time in six games despite Kawhi Leonard's season-highs of바카라 웹사이트33 points and 10 rebounds and a temporary return from leading scorer Norman Powell, who was back after missing five games with a knee injury but exited in the first quarter with a sore hamstring.
Ivica Zubac also posted a double-double for the Clippers with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Star guard James Harden struggled, however, missing 10 of 14 shot attempts while finishing with 13 points and eight assists.바카라 웹사이트
Doncic scored 12 first-quarter points to help the Lakers take a 34-28 lead into the second, in which the Clippers shot just 30 per cent for the period as the Lakers extended their advantage to 56-43 at half-time.
The Lakers' margin grew in the third quarter, as Doncic fed Jarred Vanderbilt for an alley-oop dunk and followed with a 3-pointer to increase their lead to 84-63 with three minutes left in the period.
The Clippers closed out the third on바카라 웹사이트a 14-5 run, however, and Leonard later scored the first five points of a 7-2 surge that pulled them within 93-88 with under eight minutes left.
It was again a five-point game after consecutive 3-pointers by Bogdan Bogdanović and Leonard cut the Lakers' lead to 107-102 with 1:40 to play. The Clippers failed to score the remainder of the way, however, missing their final seven shots.
Cavaliers' winning streak now 10 after overtime victory over Trail Blazers
DeAndre Hunter's go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.8 seconds left in overtime helped send the Cleveland Cavaliers to their 10th straight win, a hard-earned 133-129 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Cleveland (50-10) overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit to become the NBA's first team this season to reach the 50-win mark. Hunter helped make it happen by scoring 32 points, his highest total since joining the Cavaliers in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 6.
Ty Jerome played a key role as well by delivering바카라 웹사이트25 points off the bench on a day when the Cavs rested leading scorer Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland also received 20 points and eight rebounds from Evan Mobley and 12 points and 10 rebounds from Jarrett Allen.
Deni Avdija nearly led the Blazers to a big road upset by posting his first career triple-double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Anfernee Simons finished with 27 points for Portland, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, while Toumani Camara had 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The Blazers appeared firmly in control after SImons hit two 3-pointers during a 7-0 run that increased their lead to 89-71 late in the third quarter. The Cavaliers바카라 웹사이트scored the period's final eight points, however, to cut its deficit to 89-79 after Jerome drained a 3-polnter at the buzzer.
Cleveland kept chipping away in the fourth quarter and forged a 101-101 tie when Hunter buried a 3-pointer with 5:43 left in regulation. The Cavs went ahead with 15.6 seconds remaining when Max Strus' triple snapped a 115-115 tie.
The Cavaliers' Darius Garland missed a crucial free throw in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, though, which allowed Simons to drive the lane and draw a foul before he made both attempts with 1.1 seconds left to tie the contest at 119-119.
Simons' 3-pointer with 44 seconds to go in overtime gave Portland a 129-128 edge, but Hunter answered by making a 25-footer on the following possession to send Cleveland back in front.
The Cavs were able to stay ahead the rest of the way as the Blazers missed three attempts from beyond the arc in the final seconds.
