Jayson Tatum had 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in his season debut to help the Boston Celtics defeat the visiting Dallas Mavericks 120-100 on Friday night.
Tatum, who was in Boston’s starting lineup and played 27 minutes, appeared in an NBA game for the first time since he tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Boston received 24 points from Jaylen Brown and 20 from Derrick White. Neemias Queta added 16 points and 15 rebounds. The news wasn’t all good for Boston, as Nikola Vucevic left the court in the first quarter with a fractured right ring finger.
Klay Thompson made 5 of 11 3-point attempts and scored 19 points as the Mavericks took their sixth loss in a row.
Lakers 128, Pacers 117
Luka Doncic recorded 44 points, nine rebounds and three steals in three quarters of action, leading Los Angeles past visiting Indiana.
Doncic notched his 10th 40-point effort of the season to break a tie with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for the most this season. He also became the fourth different Laker to record 10 or more 40-point games in a season, joining a trio of Hall of Famers — Kobe Bryant (four times), Elgin Baylor (three) and Jerry West (three).
Doncic’s scoring was needed on a night in which the Lakers were without LeBron James (elbow, foot) and Deandre Ayton (knee). Pascal Siakam scored 26 points for the Pacers, who lost their eighth straight game.
Knicks 142, Nuggets 103
OG Anunoby scored a season-high 34 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and New York handed host Denver its worst loss of the season.
The Nuggets played the second half without Jamal Murray. The star guard who scored 12 points but rolled his left ankle when he stepped on Nikola Jokic’s foot while backpedaling on defense with 1:05 left in the second quarter. Murray was helped off the court and did not return.
Jalen Brunson had just nine points but finished with 15 assists for the Knicks, who used 40-point second quarter to take control. Jokic paced the Nuggets with 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Spurs 116, Clippers 112
Victor Wembanyama racked up 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots while Julian Champagnie added 20 points, 17 of them in the pivotal third quarter, as host San Antonio came back from 25 points down to beat Los Angeles.
It was the Spurs’ largest comeback of the season, their third win in a row and their 14th victory in the past 15 games. De’Aaron Fox contributed 19 points and nine assists.
Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 30 points while Brook Lopez added 26 for the Clippers, who had a three-game winning streak end.
Rockets 106, Trail Blazers 99
Amen Thompson scored 26 points and fueled a critical fourth-quarter rally that propelled Houston to a victory over visiting Portland.
After Alperen Sengun, who scored a game-high 28 points, picked up his fifth foul with 8:29 left to play and the Rockets trailing 89-85, Thompson scored three consecutive baskets to ignite a 15-0 run. Thompson shot 11 of 12 from the floor and added seven rebounds and seven assists.
Kevin Durant had 20 points and eight rebounds for Houston, which has won five of the past seven. Jerami Grant paced the Trail Blazers, who have lost three out of four, with 21 points, and Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists.
Heat 128, Hornets 120
Tyler Herro hit eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points as visiting Miami edged Charlotte.
Bam Adebayo had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Heat won their fourth game in a row and improved to 7-2 in the past nine. Jaime Jaquez Jr. racked up 21 points off the bench.
The Hornets’ six-game winning streak ended despite 27 points from Kon Knueppel, 22 points and 13 rebounds from Brandon Miller and 21 points from LaMelo Ball.
Suns 118, Pelicans 116
Devin Booker scored 32 points, Jalen Green added 25 and host Phoenix nearly squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead before holding off New Orleans.
Oso Ighodaro had 13 points for the Suns, who made 20 3-pointers in a season-high 58 attempts. Phoenix had lost seven of its previous 11 games overall, swept the four-game season series.
Trey Murphy III scored 22 points and had four treys while Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey scored 19 points each for the Pelicans, who had won five of seven.
–Field Level Media
