The Celtics, with Jayson Tatum at the helm, overcame a slow beginning to secure a 133-129 victory over the struggling Wizards on Friday.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Kristaps Porzingis contributed 34 points and 11 rebounds for his former team. Despite the Celtics initially appearing unenthusiastic against the Wizards, who are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they managed to turn the game around. The Celtics struggled in the first half, allowing 71 points and trailing by seven at halftime. However, they dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards 36-16, ultimately securing a 133-129 victory after fending off a late Washington rally.
In Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half as the Lakers scored 87 points on their way to a 139-122 win over the Pelicans. The Lakers put up 51 points in the second quarter, and all five Lakers starters scored at least 20 points.
In Sacramento, Domantas Sabonis outperformed Denver’s two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, achieving his 16th triple-double of the season and leading the Kings to a 135-106 win over the reigning champion Nuggets. Sabonis scored 17 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists, while Malik Monk contributed 23 points and Keegan Murray, who had not scored in the Kings’ previous game against Detroit, added 17 points. Jokic led the Nuggets with 23 points, but Denver missed an opportunity to take the lead in the Western Conference standings from Minnesota.
In Toronto, the Raptors managed to maintain their lead and secure a 107-104 home victory against the Houston Rockets, despite seeing their 22-point advantage reduced to just one. Immanuel Quickley contributed 25 points, while RJ Barrett added 21. Barrett’s crucial two free throws sealed the win after Houston’s Dillon Brooks narrowed the gap to 105-104 with a three-pointer in the final 23.3 seconds.
Atlanta ended a two-game losing streak in Philadelphia as Trae Young scored 37 points and dished out 12 assists to lead the Hawks to a 127-121 win over the injury-depleted 76ers. Kelly Oubre Jr led the 76ers with 28 points, Tobias Harris added 21, and Buddy Hield and Cam Payne, who made their 76ers debuts after being acquired before the trade deadline, contributed 20 points each. However, Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, who will be sidelined for at least a month following surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee.
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