(Reuters) – Jaylen Brown scored 21 of his career-high 50 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics rally past the visiting Orlando Magic for a 116-111 overtime win on Sunday night.
Boston led 110-104 with 1:11 left in the extra period. Orlando closed within 110-109 after a Wendell Carter Jr. free throw with 42.4 seconds on the clock, but Al Horford provided the winning basket on his 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds left.
Dennis Schroder had 21 points and seven assists in his return from the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol and Marcus Smart added 17 points with seven helpers for the Celtics.
Terrence Ross had a season-high 33 points off the bench and Gary Harris scored 23 to lead Orlando, which blew a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter to suffer its fifth consecutive defeat.
Raptors 120, Knicks 105
Fred VanVleet scored 19 of his 35 points in the third quarter and host Toronto defeated depleted New York.
VanVleet was 7-for-13 in 3-point attempts and also had five rebounds and five assists in scoring more than 30 points for the second straight game. Pascal Siakam added 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists as Toronto won for the second straight game.
Evan Fournier scored 20 points for the Knicks, who completed their road trip at 2-2. RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin added 19 points each, Quentin Grimes had 13 and Alec Burks 11.
Suns 133, Hornets 99
Devin Booker scored 24 points as Phoenix got back on track with a blasting of host Charlotte.
The Suns entered having lost three of their previous four games to drop out of the top spot in the Western Conference. Jalen Smith had 19 points for the Suns on Sunday, while reserve Landry Shamet pumped in 17 points and Mikal Bridges had 15. Cameron Johnson and Cameron Payne both had 14 points for Phoenix.
LaMelo Ball had 17 points for the Hornets, while Kelly Oubre Jr. had 15 and Ish Smith had 13 for Charlotte, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Miles Bridges, who missed the previous two games while in COVID protocol, added 10 points.
Lakers 108, Timberwolves 103
LeBron James scored 26 points and Malik Monk added 22 as Los Angeles earned a victory over visiting Minnesota despite a significant rebounding disadvantage.
Russell Westbrook had 20 points for the Lakers, but had nine turnovers on a night when Los Angeles had 28 rebounds to 56 for Minnesota. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves for the first time in three tries this season.
Naz Reid scored a season-high 23 points and had 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games. Reid was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Minnesota was without two of its three top scorers with Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in COVID-19 protocol.
Cavaliers 108, Pacers 104
Evan Mobley had a team-high 24 points and Kevin Love added 20, including a tie-breaking basket with 10:10 to play, lifting Cleveland to victory over visiting Indiana.
In helping the Cavaliers end a three-game skid, Love’s 16-footer gave Cleveland the lead for good. The basket followed consecutive 3-pointers by Duane Washington Jr. and Oshae Brissett that allowed the Pacers to draw even one final time at 90 early in the fourth period.
Mobley’s 24 points came on 11-for-16 shooting from the field. He also had nine rebounds. Jarrett Allen compiled a double-double with 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to go with three blocks for the Cavaliers, who outrebounded the visitors 58-47.
Mavericks 95, Thunder 86
Marquese Chriss scored a season-high 15 off the bench to lead Dallas to a road victory over Oklahoma City.
The Mavericks got three key players back after stints in the league’s COVID-19 protocol, including star Luka Doncic. Doncic, playing for the first time since Dec. 10 after missing 10 games due to left ankle soreness and then the NBA’s health and safety protocols, had 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting with 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Rookie Josh Giddey led Oklahoma City with 17 points, a season-high 14 assists and 13 rebounds.
Kings 115, Heat 113
De’Aaron Fox, who went scoreless in the first quarter, made two go-ahead free throws with 6.2 seconds left to lead host Sacramento to a win over Miami.
On the ensuing possession, Miami’s Jimmy Butler drove into the lane, but his turnaround jumper bounced off the rim as the Heat had their five-game win streak broken.
Fox finished with 24 points as the Kings won for the third time in four games. Buddy Hield led Sacramento with a game-high 26 points, making 7 of 14 3-pointers. Omer Yurtseven scored a career-best 22 points.
–Field Level Media
