SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 36 points and the Boston Celtics ended a long road trip on a high note by beating the Sacramento Kings 132-109 on Tuesday night.
Boston bounced back from blowing a 19-point lead in Utah on Saturday night by knocking off one of the top teams in the Western Conference. It won four of six on the trip.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and Derrick White scored 20 to help the Celtics open up a one-game lead over Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.
Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the Kings, who lost consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 3-5. De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points.
Sacramento fell 1 1/2 games behind Memphis in the race for second place in the Western Conference. The Kings are trying to clinch their first playoff berth since 2006 — the longest postseason drought in NBA history.
THUNDER 101, CLIPPERS 100
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clippers star Paul George got hurt in the fourth quarter of the team's loss to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
George went down hard under the Oklahoma City basket with 4:38 remaining. He lay on his back for several minutes before being helped to his feet. Supported by staff on either side, George headed to the locker room, appearing to barely be able to put any weight on his right leg.
There was no immediate update on his condition after the game. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said George was still being evaluated. He later left the arena on the back of a cart with his right leg extended.
George had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. His potential loss could prove costly to a team harboring hopes of winning its first NBA championship.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points against his former team. Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder.
CAVALIERS 115, NETS 109
NEW YORK (AP) — Donovan Mitchell had five 3-pointers and one sensational slam dunk among his 31 points, and Cleveland held on for the road win.
Caris LeVert added 18 points for the Cavaliers in the opener of a two-game series. Cleveland led by only six after a competitive first half, but quickly blew it open in the third en route to its seventh win in nine games.
The Cavs opened a 24-point lead and Mitchell’s slam over Yuta Watanabe came with the Nets desperately hoping to get back into it early in the fourth.
Day’Ron Sharpe had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who lost their fourth straight game. Spencer Dinwiddie had 19 points and 11 assists.
The teams play again Thursday night to complete what could be a postseason preview.
HAWKS 129, PISTONS 107
ATLANTA (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic sank three 3-pointers in a 16-0 run early in the second half that allowed Atlanta to extend its lead to double digits for the first time.
Trae Young had 30 points and 12 assists for the Hawks (36-36), who are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hawks completed their first four-game season series sweep of the Pistons since the 1993-94 season.
Marvin Bagley III scored a season-high 31 points in Detroit’s fourth straight loss. The NBA-worst Pistons (16-57) have lost 15 of 16.
PELICANS 119, SPURS 84
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 32 points, leading New Orleans to the runaway win.
Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Pelicans, who led by as many as 36 points before closing out their second straight victory. Trey Murphy III scored 17, and CJ McCollum added 15 points.
Ingram scored 16 in the third quarter, when New Orleans widened a 25-point halftime lead to 31.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points for the Spurs. Tre Jones and former Pelican Devonte’ Graham each had 15.
MAGIC 122, WIZARDS 112
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Pablo Banchero had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, sending the Magic to the victory.
Orlando won for the first time in eight games against Washington. Gary Harris scored 22 points for the Magic, and Franz Wagner had 20 points. Reserve guard Cole Anthony finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points for the Wizards, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Bradley Beal had 16 points and seven assists before fouling out with 2:55 remaining.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Associated Press
