Basketball: Kyrie Irving erupts for 43 to lead Celtics past Raptors, 76ers and Butler get first win by beating Jazz

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving drives between Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and forward Kawhi Leonard during their NBA game in Boston on Nov 16, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS/USA TODAY SPORTS

(REUTERS) - Kyrie Irving scored a season-best 43 points, including four in overtime, and added 11 assists as the Boston Celtics came back to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 123-116 on Friday (Nov 16) night.

The Celtics, who had lost four of their previous six games, handed the Raptors their third straight loss after a 12-1 start. The teams have split their first two games this season. Jayson Tatum added 21 points, Gordon Hayward had 15 and Marcus Morris and Al Horford had 11 each for the Celtics.

Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 31 points and 15 rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 21 points, Pascal Siakam 16, Kyle Lowry 14 while Jonas Valanciunas and Danny Green each had 11 for the Raptors.

The Raptors, who led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, took a four-point edge into the fourth before Irving took over, scoring 19 in the period to help the Celtics take the game into overtime.

76ers 113, Jazz 107

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points in his home debut to lead Philadelphia past Utah for his first win as a Sixer.

Butler was 12 of 15 from the field and the Sixers improved to 8-0 at home this season while extending their home winning streak to 18 dating to last season. Joel Embiid added 23 points, JJ Redick had 16 and Amir Johnson 11 for the Sixers. Ben Simmons had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 31 points but shot just 13-for-35 from the field and 1-for-11 from 3-point range. Joe Ingles added 14 while Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio had 13 apiece. Rudy Gobert contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Timberwolves 112, Trail Blazers 96

Andrew Wiggins led six Minnesota players in double figures with 23 points in a romp past visiting Portland.

Derrick Rose scored 17 points, Robert Covington and Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 each, Jeff Teague had 13 and Taj Gibson contributed 12 for the Timberwolves, who won their third straight game and avenged a 111-81 defeat at Portland on Nov 4.

CJ McCollum scored 18 points, Damian Lillard added 16 and Jusuf Nurkic contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who have lost two in a row. Portland made only 8 of 29 shots from 3-point range and had 18 turnovers.

Bucks 123, Bulls 104

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Milwaukee erased an 18-point halftime deficit in the blink of an eye to beat visiting Chicago.

Milwaukee turned up the defensive intensity to start the third quarter and outscored Chicago 46-17 to take control and cruise to the easy win. Milwaukee outscored Chicago 78-41 in the second half and every member of the starting unit for the Bucks scored in double figures.

Eric Bledsoe sparked the Milwaukee third-period onslaught by scoring 14 points in the period. Bledsoe finished with 25 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Khris Middleton nearly recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The Bulls were led by former Buck Jabari Parker, who scored 21 points to go with eight rebounds.

Pelicans 129, Knicks 124

Anthony Davis had 43 points and 17 rebounds as hosts New Orleans overcame an 11-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to defeat New York.

Jrue Holiday had 24 points and 10 assists, Julius Randle came off the bench to score 19 with 11 rebounds, E'Twaun Moore scored 13 and Nikola Mirotic added 12 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which trailed by as many as 19 points as it began a stretch of three homes games in four days.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 30 points, Trey Burke came off the bench to score 24, Emmanuel Mudiay scored 19 and Kevin Knox and Allonzo Trier had 11 each for the Knicks, who lost their fourth straight and sixth in their last seven.

Pacers 99, Heat 91

Tyreke Evans, Domantas Sabonis and Cory Joseph led a dominant bench effort as hosts Indiana defeated Miami.

Evans scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds, both season highs. Sabonis added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Joseph had 12 points, five assists and three steals. Sabonis has six double-doubles this season - two of them against Miami.

Indiana's reserves outscored Miami's bench 53-27, which helped the Pacers overcome an off night by All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who was held to a season-low eight points on 3-for-12 shooting. His 13-game streak of scoring 20 or more points was snapped.

Miami were led by Josh Richardson's 28-point effort that included seven three-pointers.

Grizzlies 112, Kings 104

Jaren Jackson Jr scored a season-high 27 points to lead hosts Memphis over Sacramento.

Jackson, whose previous high was 24 against Atlanta last month, combined with Garrett Temple for all the Memphis scoring in a game-opening, 15-2 burst. Jackson had four baskets in the run, including a 3-pointer. Jackson added six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.

Marc Gasol and Mike Conley each contributed 19 points to the win, which improved Memphis' home record to 6-1. Temple (14 points) and Wayne Selden (10) also scored in double figures for the Grizzlies. De'Aaron Fox totalled team highs in points (23) and assists (10) points for the Kings.

Nets 115, Wizards 104

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points off the bench, D'Angelo Russell added 23 and visiting Brooklyn defeated Washington to end a three-game losing streak.

The Nets broke open a close game in the third quarter and led by as many as 19 in the fourth. Brooklyn centre Jarrett Allen, who missed the Nets' previous game due to illness, finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Dwight Howard led the Wizards with 25 points and 17 rebounds despite playing only 27 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Bradley Beal scored 20 points and reserve Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 for the Wizards, who saw their three-game winning streak end.

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