Celtics bounce back with win over Nets
Jaylen Brown scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum added 23 as the Boston Celtics cruised to a 121-107 victory over Brooklyn on Friday, snapping a two-game NBA skid as they got their first taste of the new in-season tournament. Stung by back-to-back defeats, the Celtics came out strong and led by as many as 17 in a first half in which they made 12 three-pointers. Brooklyn cut the deficit to nine points going into the fourth quarter, but Boston, with a strong effort from their bench, pulled away for the win. Tatum was delighted to get back in the win column. "It's a long season," he said. "You want to win all of them but, you know, that's unlikely. "It's just about how you respond and you regroup. And I think we did that in a big way tonight." That was more important, he indicated, than getting off on the right foot in the new Cup-style tournament that will see eight teams advance from group play to knockout rounds, all culminating with a title match on December 9 in Las Vegas. All the games in the tournament, except for the final, count in the regular-season standings. "Yeah, it would be nice to win (the in-season tournament), but more importantly it was just good to get back in the winning column. "We lost two in a row, so it was important to come back home and get a win." In the late game, LeBron James shook off an early injury scare to score 32 points and key the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-119 comeback win over the Phoenix Suns, in his first taste of the NBA's new in-season tournament.  After a knock to his lower left leg had him hobbing briefly in the first quarter, the 38-year-old superstar settled in and produced another age-defying performance, helping the Lakers snap a three-game losing streak. He connected on 11 of 17 shots from the field, including three of four from three-point range. He added 11 rebounds and six assists. Things were tougher for Philadelphia, but Joel Embiid scored 33 points and Tyrese Maxey added 29 to lead the 76ers back from a 16-point deficit to a 114-106 victory over the Pistons in Detroit. NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid added 16 rebounds for the Sixers, who shook off a slow start to win their seventh straight game – and hand the Pistons a seventh straight defeat. Former Piston Tobias Harris added 24 points and De'Anthony Melton had 10 as the starters came through with 104 points for Philadelphia. Detroit led by 16 midway through the second quarter, but Philadelphia whittled that to eight at halftime. The 76ers' 35 third-quarter points – 16 of them from Embiid – saw them grab the lead, which they pushed to as many as 17 in the final frame. In other early games, sensational San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points with nine rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots but came up short in a duel of French big men as his Spurs fell to Rudy Gobert's Minnesota Timberwolves 117-110. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Minnesota, who won their fifth straight. Anthony Edwards added 28 points and Gobert had 11 points and 10 rebounds. In Dallas, the Mavericks exploded for 47 points in the second quarter to take control on the way to a 144-126 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Luka Doncic scored 44 points on efficient 17-of-21 shooting and Kyrie Irving added 27 for the Mavs, who improved to 1-1 in tournament play and to 7-2 for the season. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 26 points. James Harden scored all 14 of his points in the first quarter and the Clippers lost their fourth straight – their third with Harden in the lineup after his trade from Philadelphia. (AFP)

Last updated: 2023-11-11 HKT 14:59 