Suns beat Celtics 123-110; Smart hits record 11 3-pointers
BOSTON (AP) — Devin Booker had 39 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Phoenix Suns overcame a franchise-record 11 3-pointers by Boston’s Marcus Smart and beat the Celtics 123-119 on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 26 points and 15 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added a career-best 26 points for the Suns, who have won four of their last five games.
Smart shot 11 for 22 from 3-point range and finished with a career-best 37 points. His performance marked the first time in NBA history that a player made 11 or more 3-points in a losing effort, according to Stats.
Jayson Tatum scored 26 points and Gordon Hayward added 22 for Boston, which has lost three straight and six of eight.
BUCKS 117, NETS 97
NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 20 points, and Milwaukee beat Brooklyn for its sixth straight win.
The Bucks ran the NBA’s best record to 38-6 with another romp. They came in beating opponents by 12.4 points per game, which would be a league record if it holds up all season, and their lead was never below that after Middleton hit consecutive 3-pointers in the final minute of the second quarter when Brooklyn was within nine.
Kyrie Irving had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Nets. Rookie reserve Nic Claxton added 14 points and six boards.
CLIPPERS 133, PELICANS 130
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points and Los Angeles rallied to beat New Orleans.
Lou Williams scored 14 of his 32 points during a dominant fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which outscored the Pelicans 31-20 in the final 12 minutes.
Montrezl Harrell scored 24 points for the Clippers, who trailed by 10 in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Lonzo Ball had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who were seeking their 11th victory in 15 games despite the recent absence of guard Jrue Holiday, who has missed seven games with an elbow injury.
Derrick Favors had 22 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, while Brandon Ingram had 21 points and JJ Redick scored 19.
PISTONS 136, HAWKS 103
ATLANTA (AP) — Derrick Rose had 27 points and nine assists, Svi Mykhailiuk added 25 points in a reserve role, and Detroit won its second straight game.
The Pistons had a season high in points and shot 59.3% from the field, two nights after shooting one percentage point better, a season high, in a win at Boston.
Markieff Morris finished with 22 points off the bench, and Andre Drummond had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five steals as the Pistons won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 9.
John Collins scored 20 and De’Andre Hunter added 19 for the Hawks.
The loss spoiled Jeff Teague’s first game back with the Hawks. Teague, who finished with 15 points and seven assists, was traded from Minnesota to Atlanta two days ago, returning to his adopted hometown team.
76ERS 90, KNICKS 87
NEW YORK (AP) — Tobias Harris hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, Ben Simmons had 21 points and Philadelphia won its third straight game.
Josh Richardson added 18 points and reserve Furkan Korkmaz scored 17 for the 76ers, who snapped a six-game road losing streak. Their last win away from home was Dec. 23 at Detroit. Philadelphia is 28-16 overall, but just 8-14 on the road.
Marcus Morris Sr. had 20 points and missed a half-court heave at the buzzer for the Knicks, who have lost three straight. Julius Randle had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
RAPTORS 122, TIMBERWOLVES 112
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fred VanVleet returned from a hamstring injury to score 29 points and lead Toronto over Minnesota.
Kyle Lowry added 28 points and seven assists, while Norman Powell scored 20 points off the bench for the Raptors, who have won three straight.
Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins recorded his first career triple-double. He had 18 points, a career-high 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Rookie Jarrett Culver had 26 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost five straight.
VanVleet’s injury sidelined him for five games before Saturday. He was 11 of 16 from the field and 7 of 8 from 3-point range in 28 minutes.
CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 21 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and Chicago rallied from 15 points down in the final period for a victory over Cleveland.
Chicago, which trailed by as many as 19 points, held the Cavaliers to 14 points in the fourth period and forced 10 turnovers.
Lauri Markkanen scored 17 points for the Bulls, who have won two of three.
LaVine has scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games.
Kevin Love had 29 points and Collin Sexton added 26 as Cleveland dropped its fourth straight.
