Jayson Tatum scored 32 points on Saturday night as the Boston Celtics pulled away midway through the fourth quarter to remain unbeaten with a 124-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.
The Celtics did not lead by more than 14 and appeared sluggish at times before improving to 5-0 for the first time since starting the 2009-10 campaign with six straight victories.
Tatum reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and also reached 10,000 career points by converting a three-point play in the second quarter. At 25 years, 246 days old, Tatum became the youngest player in Celtics history to reach the 10K milestone.
Tatum made 10 of 20 shots, hit six of Boston’s 15 3-pointers and collected 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points while Kristaps Porzingis had his way inside against Brooklyn’s smaller lineup and contributed 22 to help the Celtics get 52 points in the paint.
Playing the second night of their first back-to-back, the Nets shot 43 percent and saw a three-game winning streak end. Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points while Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges added 19 apiece.
Hornets 125, Pacers 124
Mark Williams scored a career-high 27 points to lead seven players in double figures as Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Indiana in Indianapolis.
Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and Terry Rozier added 22 before exiting the game due to a groin injury midway through the fourth quarter. P.J. Washington scored 15 points, Brandon Miller and Nick Richards each had 10 and LaMelo Ball recorded 11 points and 11 assists.
Tyrese Haliburton matched his career high with 43 points and had 12 assists for the Pacers. Indiana trailed by one with 16 seconds left before Ball stymied Haliburton on the final possession to seal the victory.
Magic 120, Lakers 101
Franz Wagner scored a season-high 26 points and Paolo Banchero collected 25 points and 10 assists as host Orlando kept Los Angeles winless in three road games this season.
Banchero made 9 of 15 shots from the floor to send Orlando to its second straight win since dropping back-to-back games to the Lakers and Clippers in Los Angeles earlier in the week. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year struggled in the 106-103 loss to the Lakers, sinking just 4 of 14 shots from the floor and finishing with nine points.
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis recorded 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks. LeBron James had 24 points and nine rebounds and Austin Reaves added a season-high 20 points for the Lakers.
76ers 112, Suns 100
Joel Embiid supplied 26 points and 11 rebounds as host Philadelphia beat short-handed Phoenix.
Embiid made 9 of 18 shots en route to his third straight double-double. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 25 points, but Tyrese Maxey virtually put the game away, canning a pair of triples in a 1 1/2-minute span midway through the fourth quarter that ran the Sixers’ lead to 104-86. He finished with 22 points and 10 assists.
Kevin Durant netted a game-high 31 points for Phoenix, which was without star guards Devin Booker (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back). Booker has only played two games so far this season, while Beal has yet to make his Suns debut.
Hawks 123, Pelicans 105
Trae Young and Jalen Johnson had double-doubles, and five other Atlanta players scored in double figures en route to a win over host New Orleans.
Young finished with 22 points and 12 assists, and Johnson had 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks made 5 of 11 3-pointers while outscoring the Pelicans 41-23 in the third quarter. Atlanta has averaged 127 points during a four-game winning streak.
Zion Williamson scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram returned from a three-game absence due to knee soreness to score 16.
Rockets 107, Kings 89
Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 26 points, Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet posted double-doubles and Houston beat visiting Sacramento.
Brooks led a late surge that included a driving floater and two corner 3-pointers that pushed the lead to 96-82 with 4:28 remaining. Brooks added nine rebounds and almost joined Smith (21 points, 11 rebounds) and VanVleet (21 points, 12 assists) with a double-double.
Malik Monk led three Sacramento reserves in double figures with 18 points. He added seven assists for the Kings, who were without De’Aaron Fox (ankle) but received 47 points from their bench.
Timberwolves 123, Jazz 95
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 to lead Minnesota past Utah in Minneapolis.
Towns scored 15 points in the decisive third quarter, helping to turn a tied game into a blowout while boosting the Wolves to their second straight win and a 3-0 home record. Edwards finished with eight rebounds and six assists but also turned the ball over six times.
Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points on a rough shooting night (7-for-20) and grabbed eight rebounds, while John Collins and Talen Horton-Tucker each contributed 14 points for Utah.
Nuggets 123, Bulls 101
Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 27 points and host Denver beat Chicago.
Reggie Jackson scored 16 points off the bench for Denver, which played most of the game without point guard Jamal Murray, who logged just 10 minutes of action due to a hamstring injury.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 17 for the Bulls. Chicago trailed by as much as 23 in the fourth quarter after leading 53-51 at the break.
—Field Level Media