Los Angeles (AFP) – On Friday, the Boston Celtics, buoyed by Jayson Tatum's 32 points and 21 three-pointers, withstood Luka Doncic's 37-point triple-double and defeated the Dallas Mavericks 138-110 to take the NBA title. Extended their winning streak to 10 games.
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Tatum took some time to warm up and missed all four of his shots in the first quarter, but the All-Star forward scored 16 points in the third quarter as the Celtics took control.
The Mavs trailed by seven points at halftime, but in the middle of a three-point lead, they narrowed it down to two points.
However, Jaylen Brown and Tatum connected on back-to-back 3-pointers and the Celtics pulled away.
Seven Boston players scored in double figures, with Brown scoring 25 points and Kristaps Porzingis, who carried the offense early, adding 24 points.
They simply dominated the Mavs, even though Doncic had his 12th triple-double of the season. Doncic had 12 rebounds and 11 assists, and Kyrie Irving scored 19 points despite making just 9 of 23 shot attempts.
“Simply put, we have a really good team,” Tatum said after the league-leading Celtics won 10 straight games for the first time this season.
“Every night is going to be a little different. If we just develop good habits and keep winning, everything will fall into place.”
The Golden State Warriors overcame their road nightmare with a 120-105 victory over the Raptors in Toronto, extending their road winning streak to eight games.
Stephen Curry added 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga 24 for the Warriors, who were delayed for six hours at the airport after Thursday night's win over the New York Knicks.
Trailing by three points at halftime, the Warriors pulled away after the break. Klay Thompson returned to the starting lineup and scored 14 points in the second half.
“It's a great win,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. He imposed a challenge on his team after watching the Warriors sleepwalk from the start.
He said he hated making heavy plays but felt he had to wake them up.
“Last night was terrible. This was the worst travel situation I've ever been in the NBA,” Kerr said.
RJ Barrett led Toronto's scoring with 23 points. All-Star Scottie Burns had 10 points and six rebounds, but left the game late in the first half with an injury to his left hand.
dominant giannis
Elsewhere, Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 46 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 113-97 victory over the Bulls in Chicago.
Antetokounmpo had a dominant performance, dishing out six assists and making two 3-pointers.
Sacramento's Malik Monk scored 39 points off the bench to lead the Kings to a 124-120 overtime victory over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.
Even though Timberwolves leading scorer Anthony Edwards was ejected at halftime for personal reasons, Minnesota stayed close throughout the back-and-forth second half and led 120-117 midway through overtime.
But Monk hit two 3-pointers to put the Kings ahead, and Trey Lyles sank the final free throw to seal the victory for Sacramento.
In Detroit, Cleveland guard Darius Garland made eight 3-pointers, including six in an 18-point second quarter, and the short-handed Cavaliers beat the Pistons 110-100.
Garland scored a game-high 29 points with Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert out with injuries. Evan Mobley scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Cavs.
In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris had 31 points and 12 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey added 33 points and the 76ers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 121-114.
It was a long-awaited win for the 76ers, who are trying to stay in playoff contention while awaiting the long-awaited return of current NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who underwent surgery on his injured left knee in February.
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