Paul George scored 36 points against his former team to highlight the Boston Celtics’ 123-101 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
George, who was traded to the Celtics in the Jaylen Brown blockbuster in July, finished 6 of 11 from outside the arc. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the visitors win comfortably. The anticipated matchup between Jayson Tatum and Brown began with a chilly reception as Brown barely acknowledged Tatum’s pregame greeting.
Brown was cold thereafter as well, finishing with 13 points and a game-high four turnovers, while Tatum supplied 21 points. Boston, which made 22 of 49 3-point attempts (44.9%), has the best record in the Eastern Conference at 9-2, just ahead of the 76ers (9-3). Payton Pritchard (18 points) and Sam Hauser (12) each knocked down four 3-pointers for the Celtics.
Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points to pace the Sixers, who were facing the Celtics for the first time since rallying from a 3-1 deficit to win the teams’ first-round playoff series last spring. Joel Embiid (16 points on 2-of-9 shooting) and LeBron James (11 points on 4-of-12 shooting) both had quiet nights for Philadelphia.
Knicks 117, Bucks 85
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his season-opening streak of double-doubles and host New York rode dominant second- and fourth-quarter runs to a win over Milwaukee.
The Knicks outscored the Bucks 32-13 in both the second and fourth quarters while winning for the sixth time in seven games. Towns had 21 points and 16 rebounds for his 14th straight regular-season double-double dating back to April 1. Jalen Brunson scored 23 points.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 16 points for the Bucks, who have lost seven straight to fall to 1-10 for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Ryan Rollins contributed 14 points.
Heat 115, Jazz 109
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead Miami past Utah in Salt Lake City.
Davion Mitchell amassed 19 points and eight assists to help the Heat close out a 3-2 road trip with back-to-back wins. Bam Adebayo chipped in 11 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals.
Rookie Darryn Peterson led the Jazz with 25 points before fouling out. Ace Bailey chipped in 23 points as Utah took its ninth straight loss.
Trail Blazers 123, Thunder 103
Damian Lillard scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter and Portland prevailed over visiting Oklahoma City in the first of back-to-back games between the teams.
Deni Avdija added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds and Sidy Cissoko scored 17 points as Portland defeated the Thunder for just the second time in the past 21 meetings. Lillard, who made four 3-pointers, didn’t play in the final quarter due to the Trail Blazers’ comfortable lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and eight rebounds and didn’t play in the final quarter for Oklahoma City, which had a four-game winning streak halted. Jared McCain added 21 points and Ajay Mitchell had 14 for Oklahoma City, which trailed by as many as 22 points after the game was tied 59-59 at halftime.
Suns 133, Clippers 110
Jordan Goodwin had 18 points on six 3-pointers, Devin Booker added 17 points and host Phoenix made a season-high 22 3-pointers in a blowout of Los Angeles.
Goodwin, who had missed the previous four games with a right calf injury, finished 6-for-7 from long distance in 14 minutes off the bench. The Suns went 22-for-43 (51.2%) from beyond the arc.
Darius Garland, Baba Miller and Rui Hachimura each scored 13 points for the Clippers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with a victory over New Orleans on Sunday. Garland also had six assists and five rebounds.
Magic 107, Kings 100
Franz Wagner put up a season-high 33 points, Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. contributed key hoops to two lead-stretching runs in the second half and Orlando snapped a four-game losing streak with a road triumph over Sacramento.
Anthony Black chipped in with 26 points and led an inspired defensive effort for the Magic, who had opened a four-game Western swing with losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
Zach LaVine recorded 31 points and Darius Acuff Jr. had 29 for the Kings, who dropped a fourth in a row on a night when Domantas Sabonis went scoreless for the first time in 596 games.
