NBA: Celtics escape Pacers in overtime, Nuggets and 76ers battle to wins
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the victory.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – National Basketball Association (NBA) conference leaders Boston and Denver were pushed to the limits on Thursday, with the Celtics escaping in a 142-138 overtime triumph in Indiana and the Nuggets edging the Cavaliers 115-109 in Cleveland.
Boston star Jayson Tatum, coming off a record 55-point performance in the All-Star Game, scored 31 points, including the Celtics’ last four in overtime.
Denver, meanwhile, held off the tenacious Cavaliers, while the Philadelphia 76ers erased a 17-point deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 110-105.
Tatum got off to a slow start as NBA action resumed after the All-Star break, but finished with a double-double that included 12 rebounds.
“I’m glad we won,” said the forward, who had only six points at half-time.
“I just tried to find ways to make plays on both ends so we could win and everybody could feel better about themselves.”
Jaylen Brown added 30 points for the Celtics, who improved their league-leading record to 43-17, but are just ahead of the surging Milwaukee Bucks (41-17) atop the East.
A loss to 12th-placed Indiana looked all too possible after the Pacers, led by 40 points and 10 rebounds from Myles Turner, erased a 10-point half-time deficit, leading by as many as four in the third quarter.
It was tied at 125-125 with 1min 41sec left in regulation. Both Tatum and Brown coughed up turnovers from there but Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton missed a jump shot in the waning seconds as they went to overtime.
At 138-138 with 56.2sec left in the extra session, Tatum drained two free throws and sealed the win with a tip-in with 10.4sec remaining.
Brown said the victory bodes well for their run to the play-offs.
“The more we are tested in those moments, I think it helps for the long run. We were able to weather the storm, figure out a way to win the game,” he said.
In Cleveland, Michael Porter Jr, fed by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, drained the Nuggets’ 17th three-pointer of the night with 2:15 remaining to help Denver escape.
Porter and Caldwell-Pope combined for 10 three-pointers while Denver’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic delivered his league-leading 22nd triple-double of the season with 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.
“He’s the MVP,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of his star centre, Jokic.
“When the MVP goes out and puts up a triple-double, it means a lot. He is a historically great player.”
Jamal Murray returned from a six-game injury absence to score 16 points for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight to improve to 42-18.
But the Cavs – led by Evan Mobley’s 31 points – made them work for it, dominating inside in a game that featured 24 lead changes.
In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris drained a three-pointer with 39.1sec remaining to put the 76ers up for the first time since the opening minutes, 106-105.
The Sixers, fueled by 31 points from James Harden and 27 points and 19 rebounds from Joel Embiid, pulled away from there.
Philadelphia improved to 39-19 and remained third in the East behind the Celtics and the Bucks.
In the West, Malik Beasley scored 25 points and Austin Reaves added 17 as the new-look Los Angeles Lakers earned a 124-111 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors.
Having just recovered from a hand injury, LeBron James finished with 13 points on five-of-20 shooting for the Lakers, who won for the third time in their last four games – with two of those victories against the Warriors.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points for Golden State. AFP, REUTERS
