Jayson Tatum scored 35 of his career-high 53 points at halftime as the Boston Celtics eliminated a 17-point deficit to defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 145-136 in overtime Friday night.
Tatum, the youngest player in Celtic history to score at least 50 in a game in 23 years and 37 days, shot 16 of 25 from the field, had six 3-point references and added 10 rebounds as the Celts won for the fourth time in five games. Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Marcus Smart 24 points and eight assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead the league’s worst Timberwolves, who rallied from floor 11 with 2:51 left in regulation to force overtime. D’Angelo Russell scored 26 with eight assists and Anthony Edwards had 24 points.
Boston led 122-111 before a 3-pointer from Towns and Russell helped Minnesota reach within three. The visitors tied the score at 124 on another Russell toss that banked in with 9.7 seconds remaining, and Tatum missed a chance in a game-winner at the buzzer.
Hawks 120, Bulls 108
Trae Young scored 42 points on 15-for-25 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and nine assists, and Atlanta rallied for victory over visiting Chicago.
Clint Capela contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-for-12 from the field. Danilo Gallinari added 20 points off the bench for the Hawks, who earned their fifth win in the last six games.
Zach LaVine scored a career-high 50 points for the Bulls. He made 18 of 31 shots from the field, 7 of 12 shots from beyond the arc and 7 of 8 attempts from the free throw line. Chicago lost for the first time in four games.
Wizards 110, Warriors 107
Bradley Beal’s four-point play with 6.1 seconds remaining powered Washington to a victory over Golden State in San Francisco.
Beal, the NBA’s top scorer, finished with 20 points – more than 11 fewer than his season average. Russell Westbrook – who recorded his 21st double-triple of the season with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists – notched six of his points in the final period.
Stephen Curry of Golden State led all scorers with 32 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 23, 11 of them in the third quarter.
Knicks 133, Grizzlies 129 (OT)
RJ Barrett scored 20 points and hit the groundbreaking 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining in overtime as New York rallied for a victory over Memphis.
Barrett was among six Knicks to reach double figures. Immanuel Quickley also finished with 20 points, Derrick Rose contributed 19 while Burks scored 16 of his 19 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Ja Morant led all scorers with 26 points, but the Grizzlies saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Morant shot 9 of 18 but also missed 4 of 8 free throws as Memphis shot 61.8 percent (21 of 34) from the line.
Nuggets 121, Spurs 119
Nikola Jokic tallied 26 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds as the Denver host built an early big and barely held front to beat San Antonio.
By beating San Antonio for the second time in three days in Denver, the Nuggets earned their eighth win in a row. Denver is 13-3 since the All-Star break. San Antonio lost for the fifth game in a row and fell for the 10th time in the last 12 contests.
Jokic recorded his 13th triple-double of the season, second only in the NBA to Russell Westbrook’s 21 from Washington. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 points and 10 rebounds. Six players scored in double figures for the Spurs, led by Derrick White with 25 points and DeMar DeRozan with 24 points and 12 assists.
Clippers 126, Rockets 109
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and sacked eight assists as the Los Angeles host defeated Houston for its fourth consecutive victory.
Reggie Jackson finished with 26 points, Nicolas Batum added 17 and Terance Mann totaled 16 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Clippers forward Paul George did not play as the team gave him a break following consecutive 30-point outings, and Rajon Rondo (adductor soreness) also sat out.
Houston lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Rockets had six players in double figures, led by Christian Wood with 23 points and Jae’Sean Tate with 18 points.
Hornets 127, Bucks 119
Miles Bridges scored 26 points and Charlotte wrapped up a key road swing with a win against shorthand Milwaukee. Devonte ‘Graham and Terry Rozier’s backcourt duo supplied the Hornets with 20 points, which went 4-2 en route.
The Bucks played their fourth straight game without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee). Milwaukee also lost Jrue Holiday (left knee), Khris Middleton (right knee), Brook Lopez (back), Donte DiVincenzo (hip) and PJ Tucker (calf).
Rookie Jordan Nwora led Milwaukee with a career-high 24 points. Jeff Teague tackled on 19 points, and Bryn Forbes scored 18.
Pelicans 101, 76ers 94
Zion Williamson had 37 points and a career-high 15 rebounds as the New Orleans host defeated Philadelphia. Williamson tied a career high with eight assists and made 15 of 28 career-high field goals.
Brandon Ingram returned from a five-game absence caused by a foot injury and scored 17 for the Pelicans, though he made just 5 of 21 shots.
Tobias Harris led the Six Nations with 23 points, while Joel Embiid had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Pacers 111, Magic 106
Aaron Holiday’s 20 points and 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range drove Indiana to victory in Orlando.
The healthier Pacers, who welcomed Domantas Sabonis (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Malcolm Brogdon (11 points) back to their lineup, secured back-to-back victories as they started a five-on-six stretch on the road.
Terrence Ross led Orlando with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Ross ’driving dunk with 54.1 seconds after the Magic drew within four points. However, a 15-foot jumper flew with 19.3 seconds left, and the Pacers sealed the victory at the foul line.
—Field Media Media