B’ball: Celtics rebound to defeat Bucks, Lakers’ comeback falls short.
The Boston Celtics returned to winning ways with a 119-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a top-of-the-table NBA Eastern Conference matchup on Wednesday, while the Dallas Mavericks held off an incredible LeBron James-inspired comeback to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-101.
The Celtics ended their six-game winning streak on Monday with an upset loss to the lowly rated Charlotte Hornets.
However, Boston eliminated the possibility of a recurrence against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the visiting Bucks in Wednesday’s game at the TD Garden, taking control of the game in the first quarter and winning it from start to finish.
The Celtics were in command after leaping out to an early 10-0 lead, and while the Bucks fought in the fourth quarter to go within single digits, Boston recovered and sealed the victory.
Jaylen Brown of Boston scored 26 points, and Jayson Tatum added 23 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points on a night when seven Boston players had double-digit scoring totals, helping the Celtics maintain their unblemished home record and advance to 12-3.
“It’s just a team effort. “We rebounded and regrouped from the previous game,” Tatum told ESPN after the victory.
“Losing a game might help you recover and regain concentration. I adore how we started the game. They
In other games on Wednesday, the Lakers came up just short of making an incredible comeback from a 20-point deficit against Dallas in Los Angeles.
The Lakers appeared to be dead and buried, losing 91-71 at the opening of the fourth quarter.
But James led a remarkable rally with 16 fourth-quarter points, helping the Lakers take a 101-99 lead with just over a minute left.
However, James’ former Cleveland teammate Kyrie Irving saved the Mavs with a clutch three-pointer to put Dallas back up 102-101, and he added two late free throws to win the game.
Irving finished with 28 points, and Luka Doncic added 30 for Dallas. James, who missed a last-second three-pointer that would have forced OT, finished with 26 points.
In Phoenix, Golden State’s Chris Paul was disqualified against his former team, and the Suns defeated the Warriors 123-115.
After trailing by five in the first quarter, the Suns exploded in the second, outscoring Golden State 37-16 to set the stage for victory. Paul was ejected in the last moments of the first half after a diatribe against game referee Scott Foster.
Kevin Durant led Phoenix to victory with 32 points against his former club, while Devin Booker added 25.
Klay Thompson led Golden State’s scoring with 23 points, including six three-pointers.
In Florida, the in-form Orlando Magic defeated the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets, 124-119.
Nikola Jokic led Denver’s scoring with
The Minnesota Timberwolves maintained their recent fine form in Minneapolis, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 112-99.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 31 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
Trae Young scored 43 points for the Atlanta Hawks in a 147-145 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Mikal Bridges had a career-high 45 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists for Brooklyn, but Young scored 14 points in overtime to secure Atlanta’s victory.
In San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points in a 109-102 victory over his former team.
In the second quarter, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich grabbed a courtside microphone and asked Spurs fans to stop booing former player Leonard.
“Excuse me for a second — please stop all the booing, let these guys play, and show a little class,” Popovich said to the fans as Leonard set up for a free shot.
