The Boston Celtics consolidated their lead in the NBA with a 124-95 win over the host Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Jayson Tatum posted a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, while Jaylen Brown scored 19 points for the NBA-leading Celtics, who bounced back from a 150-117 loss at Oklahoma City when the Thunder fell short. of 30-point scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Luka Doncic scored 23 points after averaging 44.5 points over the past five games. The Mavs superstar did not play in the fourth quarter, which started with Boston leading by 24.
Jayson Tatum posted a triple-double as the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-95
Luka Doncic scored 23 points for the Mavs after averaging 44.5 points over the past five games
Doncic has hit buzzer-beating 3-pointers in wins in Boston’s past two visits to Dallas. There was no chance for a third, or for the Mavs to extend their longest winning streak since their lone championship season in 2010-11.
Doncic missed all six of his shots from long range as the Mavericks finished 7 of 32. Doncic was 7 of 23 overall and Dallas finished at 38 percent.
Tatum wasn’t better than Doncic, 8 of 22 from the field, but his teammates were. Boston shot 16 of 43 from 3, with eight players hitting at least one.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points as Boston consolidated its lead at the top of the NBA
Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 15 points, with Smart going 4 of 9 from deep while Brogdon was 3 of 5.
The Celtics didn’t trail after midway through the first quarter, and Dallas got no closer than 13 after halftime.
Doncic had nine rebounds but was limited to three assists as Dallas tied its season low in assists with 15. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 points, and Christian Wood had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
LA CLIPPERS 91-122 DENVER NUGGETS
The Nuggets led by as many as 43 en route to a 122-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers to tie Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference on Thursday night.
The Nuggets picked the perfect time to turn in one of their best performances of the season. Denver pushed the pace and showed why the team is tied with Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Nuggets shot 50.6 percent from the floor and finished with 28 assists.
Nikola Jokic isn’t doing most of the damage either. The two-time reigning NBA MVP had 12 points, six rebounds and nine assists before turning off the fourth quarter.
Jamal Murray (L) sparks Denver early as Nuggets cruise to 122-91 win over Clippers
Jamal Murray sparked Denver early by scoring 13 of his 18 points in the first quarter.
Murray was one of seven Denver players to finish in double figures. He hit four of the team’s 14 3-pointers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped spark a 19-0 run in the second quarter to put the game away.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 123-115 ORLANDO MAGIC
The Western Conference leaders Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Orlando Magic 123-115 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win.
Ja Morant scored 32 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added. of 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Ziaire Williams came off the Memphis bench with 6-of-7 shooting and 16 points.
Paolo Banchero had 30 points and nine rebounds for Orlando. Franz Wagner added 22 points, 19 in a desperate fourth-quarter comeback attempt.
Jackson had 13 points and five rebounds in the Grizzlies’ 43-point second quarter that ended with Memphis leading 65-43.
Ja Morant (right) scores 32 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Orlando Magic 123-115
Banchero scored Orlando’s first 10 points of the second half, but Morant responded with 11 straight points for the Grizzlies.
Banchero made three free throws to bring the Magic back within 12 late in the third, but Morant closed the period with a short jumper, and the Grizzlies regained a 21-point lead on three 3-pointers (two by Williams) in the early part of the fourth part. .
Orlando rallied behind Wagner in the fourth quarter and cut the Grizzlies’ lead to six on Caleb Houstan’s 3-pointer with 1:53 left. But Morant drew his sixth foul on Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., with 1:21 left, and scored Memphis’ final three points from the foul line.
Carter finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
UTAH JAZZ 131-114 HOUSTON ROCKETS
Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night that snapped a five-game skid.
Markkanen got off to a fast start with 18 points in the first quarter to help the Jazz take an early lead. Houston took the lead late in the third quarter, but Utah ended that quarter on a 10-0 run to take the lead.
An 8-2 run cut Utah’s lead to five with 5 minutes remaining. Jordan Clarkson hit a 3-pointer soon after before Markkanen’s tip shot extended the lead to 117-107.
Lauri Markkanen scores career-high 49 points to lead Utah Jazz to win over Houston
Jalen Green added a basket for Houston before Markkanen scored the next four points to start a Jazz 14-0 run that made it 131-109 and sent fans streaming for the exits.
After scoring the first four points of the run, Markkanen added consecutive 3-pointers to end it. Players on the Utah bench stood and cheered when he hit two and they were disappointed when the final 3-point attempt that would have given him 50 points missed the mark.
Green had 30 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 23 for the Rockets, who dropped their sixth straight.
Markkanen’s game high on Thursday was 38, which he has accomplished twice, most recently on Dec. 20 against Detroit. He made six 3-pointers and all 13 of his free throws Thursday night to surpass his previous best games.
