NBA: Leonard, Clippers pummel Grizzlies

Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and eight rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers crush the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, 124-97, on Monday night.

Leonard, who rested in the fourth quarter, connected on 10 of 17 shots from the floor in 25 minutes. Montrezl Harrell contributed 22 points, while JaMychal Green and Marcus Morris chipped in 13 points apiece.

Clippers forward Paul George, who missed Saturday's loss to the Sacramento Kings with a strained hamstring, returned but managed just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting in 21 minutes.

Patrick Beverley, who sat out the previous five games with a groin injury, finished with six points in 19 minutes. But the guard's defense set the tone early for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Rookie point guard Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 16 points, but Memphis' four other starters combined to produce only 15 points.

Josh Jackson came off the bench to score 14 points, and Gorgui Dieng added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Grizzlies. No other Memphis player reached double figures in scoring. 

Dillon Brooks, who entered the contest averaging 15.4 points per game, scored just four points and missed six of seven shots -- including all three of his 3-point attempts -- while playing 25 minutes.

The Grizzlies lost their third in a row after winning eight of 10 before the All-Star break.

The Clippers, who led by as many 37 points, jumped on the Grizzlies early and rolled to a 40-14 lead after one quarter. Leonard equaled the Grizzlies by scoring 14 points in the quarter. Eight Memphis turnovers, to just two for Los Angeles, also didn't help the Grizzlies.

The Clippers maintained their advantage in the second quarter, taking a 66-37 lead at the break.

Memphis cut the deficit to 22 in the third quarter but got no closer the rest of the way.

The Clippers outshot the Grizzlies 50 percent to 41.6 percent.

Memphis played without power forward and second-leading scorer Jaren Jackson Jr., who is out at least two weeks with a sprained left knee.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: 6 Celtics score in double figures in beating Pistons

Jayson Tatum led six Boston players in double figures with 19 points and the host Celtics ended the Detroit Pistons' four-game winning streak with a 118-110 victory on Wednesday.

Gordon Hayward contributed 18 points and eight assists, while Al Horford supplied 17 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylen Brown had 17 points and seven rebounds, Marcus Smart added 16 points and five assists, and Marcus Morris chipped in 11 points.

The Celtics were missing their top two point guards. All-Star Kyrie Irving sat out for the second consecutive night with a right knee strain, while Terry Rozier was sidelined by an illness.

Blake Griffin led Detroit with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Andre Drummond had 21 points, 17 rebounds and four steals, Reggie Jackson tossed in 18 points, and Wayne Ellington added 13 points off the bench.

Both teams were playing their final game before the All-Star break. Boston was playing the tail end of a back-to-back after winning in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Hayward scored 11 first-half points as Boston led 57-52 at halftime. Brown contributed 10 points off the bench, while Griffin reached the 20-point mark.

The Celtics took control in the third, outscoring Detroit 34-20 to gain a 91-72 lead.

Boston opened up an 11-point lead early in the third with an 8-0 spurt that included 3-pointers from Hayward and Smart.

When Tatum made a trey from the right side with 6:47 left in the quarter, Boston's lead was 72-58.

Later in the quarter, Smart drained back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Celtics' advantage to 17 at 85-68.

Tatum fired in another long shot in the final minute of the quarter to make it 89-69. Smart made the last basket of the quarter, scoring along the right baseline while falling down.

The Pistons didn't go quietly. They reeled off a 20-2 run, capped by a Drummond steal and dunk, to cut Boston's lead to 10. Horford made a three to end that outburst. Detroit couldn't get the deficit into single digits until the final two minutes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Irving shoots Celtics past 76ers in OT

Kyrie Irving scored 40 points, including two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of overtime, and the Boston Celtics overcame a five-point deficit in the extra session to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 121-114 on Tuesday.

Irving, who added 10 rebounds, sent the game into OT by sinking a difficult jumper late in the fourth quarter.

The guard's performance helped overcome 34 points and 16 rebounds by Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.

Jayson Tatum added 23 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. Marcus Morris also scored 23 while Terry Rozier chipped in with 10 points.

Jimmy Butler added 24 points for Philadelphia, JJ Redick had 17 points, Wilson Chandler 15 points and Ben Simmons 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

The 76ers overcame an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to take a seven-point lead on a 3-pointer by Furkan Korkmaz with 8:13 to play in the fourth quarter.

Rozier's 3-pointer brought the Celtics to within two with 7:14 remaining. Tatum's 3-pointer tied the game at 101 with 5:26 left.

Tatum made one of two free throws with 4:53 to put Boston up by one. Then Philadelphia led by one after Embiid's dunk.

After the teams exchanged one-point leads, Chandler hit a 3-pointer with 37.1 seconds to go in regulation, and the 76ers led by two points.

Irving tied the game at 108 on his shot with 20.9 seconds left and Redick missed at the buzzer, forcing overtime.

The 76ers scored the first four points of overtime on Embiid's two free throws and Butler's jumper.

Boston's Marcus Smart was called for a technical foul, and Redick made the free throw to give Philadelphia a five-point lead.

Dunks by Tatum and Gordon Hayward cut the lead to one with 2:51 left in overtime.

After Simmons made one of two free throws, Irving gave Boston a two-point lead with a 3-pointer with 2:01 to play. He hit another 3-pointer with 1:29 left, and Boston led by four before pulling away.

The Celtics won their second in a row following a three-game losing streak. The 76ers had won their previous two games.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics rides blistering start to easy win over Hawks

Kyrie Irving scored 12 of his 24 points in a 42-point first quarter to spark the Boston Celtics to their eighth straight win, a 129-108 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

Irving was 8-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-5 on 3s, with five rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Celtics had two other starters in double figures: Jayson Tatum scored 22 points and Marcus Morris, who was 6-for-8 on 3-pointers and scored 20 points. 

Gordon Hayward added 19 points and five assists and Daniel Theis scored 18, which included two alley-oop dunks.

Irving has shown no lingering effects for the right shoulder soreness that caused him to miss the Dec. 10 game against New Orleans. 

He scored Boston's final 12 points on Wednesday when the game was on the line in Boston's overtime win at Washington. In his last two games, Irving has scored 62 points.

The Hawks got a career-high-matching 19 points from Kevin Huerter for his second straight outing. The rookie from Maryland was 7-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-8 on 3-pointers, with three assists and three steals.

Forward John Collins posted his sixth consecutive double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Kent Bazemore added 13 points and seven assists.

Boston had a 42-19 lead after the first period, but saw it trimmed to 49-45, before recovering to take a 67-46 halftime lead. The Celtics put the game away with a 41-point effort in the third quarter.

Atlanta has dropped two straight and lost six of its last seven.

The Celtics played without ex-Atlanta standout Al Horford (left knee pain), Guerschon Yabusele (right ankle) and Jabari Bird (personal reasons). 

Atlanta native Jaylen Brown was able to play after being listed as questionable with an illness. 

The Hawks were without Taurean Prince (left ankle), Omari Spellman (right hip) and Alex Poythress (left ankle).

It was the second time Boston has beaten Atlanta this season. The two teams meet again on Jan. 19 in Atlanta.

The Celtics complete a back-to-back on Saturday at Detroit. The Hawks play again on Sunday to complete a three-game road trip in Brooklyn.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Irving, Celtics shoot past Wizards in OT

Kyrie Irving hit a tiebreaking, 31-foot 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining in overtime, and the visiting Boston Celtics held off the Washington Wizards, 130-125, on Wednesday night.

Bradley Beal and John Wall missed 3-point attempts to tie the score before Irving closed out Boston's victory with two free throws.

Irving's 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds left gave the Celtics a two-point lead, but Wall's jumper tied it with 30.7 seconds to go.

Irving scored 38 points and Marcus Morris added 27 for Boston, which won its seventh straight.

Wall, who returned after missing one game with bone spurs in his left heel, led the Wizards with 34 points and 13 assists, continually driving for baskets over the final minutes of regulation and overtime.

Beal and Jeff Green scored 22 points each for the Wizards, and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 20 points.

Beal tied the score 113-113 with 11.3 seconds remaining in regulation when he made a free throw, then got the rebound of his subsequent missed free throw and scored. Irving missed on a drive into traffic at the buzzer.

Boston benefitted from 24 second-chance points and was 25-for-25 from the free throw line while Washington missed 8 of 29 foul shots.

The Celtics trailed by nine to start the third quarter before hitting 13 of 21 field-goal attempts. Boston turned the deficit into a seven-point lead as Morris hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Washington opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and took the lead on Markieff Morris' 3-pointer with 9:39 remaining. The teams stayed close for the remainder of regulation.

The Celtics were without Al Horford because of an injured left knee as well as Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward due to illness. Aron Baynes returned after missing two games and most of a third.

Washington was without Otto Porter Jr. due to a bruised knee.

The Wizards led 55-46 at halftime.

Washington shot 47.4 percent (18 of 39) in the first half, while the Celtics managed only 38 percent (19 of 50), including 4 of 20 (20 percent) from beyond the arc.

For the game, the Wizards outshot the Celtics 50.5 percent to 45.2 percent from the floor. Washington made 12 of 33 3-point attempts while Boston was 11 of 38 from beyond the arc.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Irving leads Celtics in OT rally past Suns

Kyrie Irving recorded a season-high 39 points and also had seven rebounds and six assists to help the Boston Celtics rally to a 116-109 overtime victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.

Marcus Morris added 17 points and drained the tying 3-point basket in regulation as Boston recovered from a 22-point third-quarter deficit. Jaylen Brown connected on the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime to cap a 17-point effort and Terry Rozier added 10 points.

Devin Booker scored a season-high 38 points and added nine assists and TJ Warren scored a season-high 29 points for Phoenix, which has dropped nine of its 11 games this season. Deandre Ayton contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds and Trevor Ariza added 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Celtics recovered from a poor-shooting first half to finish at 40.2 percent, including 14-of-37 from 3-point range. The Suns shot 44.1 percent and were 11-of-35 from 3-point range.

Boston trailed by 19 points after the opening quarter and by 25 after the third period but rallied with a 20-6 run at the end of regulation to force overtime.

Brown's 3-pointer gave Boston a 112-109 lead with 2:05 left in overtime and Morris added a layup 26 seconds later. Jayson Tatum added two free throws with nine seconds left to close it out.

The Celtics trailed by 14 with 3:45 remaining in regulation before Irving (five) and Brown (four) scored all the points during a 9-0 surge to cut the Suns' lead to 94-89 with 2:05 remaining.

Boston kept on the pressure and moved within 98-95 on Irving's 3-pointer with 35.9 seconds left and Brown's basket with 7.3 seconds left moved the Celtics within one. Warren connected on two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining to give Phoenix a 100-97 edge.

Morris drained a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to knot the score. It was Boston's six trey of the quarter.

Warren scored 19 first-half points as Phoenix led 55-35 at the break.

The Celtics shot a meager 21.7 percent from the field in the half - 10-for-46 -- and committed 10 turnovers.

Irving was the only Boston starter to score in the first half and he was just 3-of-10 shooting while scoring 13 points. The other four starters -- Brown, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Tatum -- missed all 15 of their shots.

Irving opened the contest with a 3-pointer before the Suns scored the next 15 points.

Booker's 17-footer with 0.5 seconds left gave the Suns a 32-13 edge in a stanza in which the Celtics went 4-of-22 from the field.

Phoenix stretched its lead to 48-26 on Booker's 3-pointer with 4:31 to play in the half.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Celtics survive, earn 2nd straight win over Pistons

Kyrie Irving capped a 23-7 third-quarter run with 11 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers, propelling the host Boston Celtics to a big lead, after which they survived a wild finish for a 108-105 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Irving led all scorers with 31 points, helping the Celtics beat the Pistons for the second time in four days.

Blake Griffin (24 points, 15 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (17 points, 12 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Pistons, who lost at home to the Celtics 109-89 on Saturday.

Detroit led 60-58 in the third minute of the third quarter before the Celtics scored 10 straight points to take a lead they never relinquished. Jaylen Brown had four of his 14 points in the run.

The Pistons rallied within 90-89 on a Reggie Bullock free throw with 4:21 remaining, but Irving, Brown and Marcus Morris countered with consecutive hoops to create some breathing room and the Celtics went on to win their third straight.

The Pistons didn't go down without a fight. Bullock and Ish Smith buried 3-pointers in the final 25.8 seconds, giving the visitors a shot, down 105-102, with 10.5 seconds left.

But Griffin threw the ball away and Irving capped his big night with two free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining.

Bullock made one more 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left, but it wasn't enough.

Jayson Tatum finished with 16 points, Morris 15 points and Al Horford 11 for the Celtics, who had lost to Orlando in their most recent home game.

Griffin shot 8-for-17 en route to his team-high point total. He'd been just 2-for-13 for seven points in the earlier meeting.

Bullock had 16 points, Smith 13 and Bruce Brown 10 for the Pistons, who had won four straight before the back-to-back losses to Boston.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics clamp down on Cavs, take 3-2 series edge

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-83 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Jaylen Brown added 17 points, Al Horford had 15 points and 12 boards, and both Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart scored 13 for Boston. The Celtics have earned all three of their wins this series at home, where they are 10-0 in the playoffs.

LeBron James finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Cleveland, though he committed six turnovers. Kevin Love had 14 points and seven boards for the Cavaliers, who had evened the series with a 111-102 win in Game 4 Monday.

James and Love were the only two Cleveland players to score in double figures.

Game 5 winners in best-of-seven playoff series that were tied 2-2 have won the series 83.1 percent of the time (167-34).

Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland.

Boston is one win away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, when it lost to the rival Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Cleveland has been in three consecutive Finals while James has gone to seven in a row between the Cavs and Miami Heat.

Down 76-60 entering the fourth quarter, Cleveland fell behind by 20 early in the period before pulling within 85-73 on James' layup with 4:43 to play. Boston's Terry Rozier hit a pull-up jumper 17 seconds later, and Horford's 3-pointer with 3:53 left put Boston ahead 90-73.

The Cavs waived the white flag when James checked out with 3:11 remaining.

Boston was up 53-42 at halftime.

Tensions flared early in the second quarter when Cleveland's Larry Nance Jr. shoved Morris under the basket. Nance took exception to Morris standing over him after falling while battling for a loose ball.

Technical fouls were assessed to Morris, Nance and Rozier, who shoved Nance in retaliation as the teams scuffled. Cleveland trailed 36-19 at the time but used a 12-3 run to pull within eight with 8:40 left until halftime.

The Celtics led 32-19 after one quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Celtics open East finals by ripping Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown had 23 points with 8 rebounds and Marcus Morris added 21 and 10 as the Boston Celtics stunned the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday.

Al Horford finished with 20 points and 6 assists and Jayson Tatum scored 16 for the undermanned Celtics, who reached the East finals without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.


"I just try to lead 'em the best way that I can and really lead by example," Horford told the ABC broadcast about the Celtics' young roster after the game. "We're just out here playing hard and having fun."

James totaled 15 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds as the Cavaliers' five-game playoff winning streak ended. Kevin Love led the Cavs with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Rodney Hood added 11 and Jordan Clarkson had 10.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Boston.

Cleveland swept the Toronto Raptors and Boston beat the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games to set up a rematch of last year's East finals. James and the Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics in a five-game series last May.

James has appeared in seven consecutive NBA Finals series, including 3 straight with Cleveland. Boston is seeking its first Finals berth since 2010, when it lost in 7 games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston shot 51.2 percent (43 of 84) from the field and 36.7 percent (11 of 30) from 3-point range while outerbounding the visitors 48-40. Cleveland was held to 36 percent (31 of 86) from the floor.

J.R. Smith's buzzer-beating jumper had the Cavaliers within 78-64 after 3 quarters, but a Tatum finger roll put the Boston lead over 20 at 85-64 with 10:52 remaining. Cleveland trailed by as many as 29 after that.

The Celtics were up 61-35 at halftime. Brown's 3-pointer with 32.4 seconds left in the second quarter gave Boston its biggest lead of the half (28) at 61-33. The Cavaliers never came closer than 15 in the period.

Boston led 36-18 after one quarter after going up by as many as 21, matching the biggest first-quarter deficit James has ever faced in a playoff game. Boston went on a 17-0 run midway through the period.

Celtics reserve Shane Larkin (left shoulder sprain) did not play. Larkin was already ruled out for Game 2 and is likely to miss the entire series. Boston started Morris in place of Aron Baynes to match up against James.

-- Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Morris, fourth-quarter surge, help Boston drop Portland

Marcus Morris scored 30 points as the Boston Celtics rallied from a 12-point deficit to overhaul the Portland Trail Blazers 105-100 Friday night at Moda Center.

Terry Rozier added 16 points for the Celtics, who outscored Portland 38-23 in the fourth quarter.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who lost their second straight game following a 13-game win streak. 

Al-Farouq Aminu collected 16 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.

Aminu had 11 points and six rebounds and Lillard 10 points and five assists to propel Portland to a 52-47 lead at halftime. Morris scored 14 points for Boston.

The Blazers increased the difference to 65-53 on a McCollum drive and dunk. Portland's advantage was 77-67 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Celtics opened the final period on a 15-6 run to close to within 83-82. Morris buried a three to give Boston an 85-84 lead with 6:31 to play. 

McCollum scored on a drive to push Portland back ahead 86-85. Rozier sank a pair at the line to give Boston an 87-86 advantage with 5:25 left.

McCollum's three-point play pulled the Blazers into an 89-87 lead with 5:05 to go. When McCollum followed with a left-handed floater, Portland's edge was 91-87 with 4:39 remaining.

Al Horford drilled a trey to get the Celtics to within 91-90 with 4:23 to play. Horford then split a pair at the line to tie it at 91-91 with 3:48 left.

Lillard buried a 3-point shot to give Portland a 94-91 lead with 3:12 to play. Morris answered with a 3-pointer for Boston, and Rozier sank two free throws to give the Celtics a 96-94 lead with 2:13 remaining.

Lillard's left-handed finish off a drive tied it at 96 with 1:50 to go, but Jayson Tatum pushed Boston ahead 98-96 on a drive with 1:29 left. 

When Morris drilled another three, the Celtics' advantage was 101-96 with 54.8 seconds remaining.

Lillard hit two foul shots to close the gap to 101-98 with 47.9 seconds left. Tatum and McCollum traded baskets, and Boston milked the clock to inside 10 seconds. 

Tatum missed a jumper but Horford rebounded. Rozier's two free throws with 3.2 ticks left iced it for the Celtics.

Boston got out to a 10-5 lead. Portland answered with a 13-2 run to go ahead 18-12. The Blazers settled for a 26-23 advantage going into the second quarter.

Portland increased the margin to 33-25. A four-point play and a 17-foot jumper by Morris drew the Celtics to within 40-38. 

A Morris layup tied it at 42, but Portland came away with a five-point bulge at the half.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Morris hits game-winning 3 as Celtics stun Thunder

Marcus Morris made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining as the Boston Celtics snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder's winning streak with a 100-99 decision Tuesday night in Boston.

Russell Westbrook missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have given Oklahoma City its seventh straight victory, one shy of its season high.


Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Morris added 21 points as the Celtics bounced back from a 108-89 loss in New Orleans on Sunday to win for the fourth time in eight March games. It was Tatum's first-career game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists to lead Oklahoma City, but his streak of games with a triple-double ended at five. Paul George added 24 points and 13 rebounds, Steven Adams had 14 points and seven boards, and Carmelo Anthony scored 13 points for the Thunder.

Greg Monroe contributed 17 points and six rebounds, Terry Rozier added 14 points and Shane Larkin had 13 points for the Celtics, who had lost three of their last four coming in and were short-handed on Tuesday.

Celtics guard Kyrie Irving missed his fourth consecutive game with soreness in his left knee, and he is set to receive a second opinion on his knee. Boston's Jaylen Brown (concussion) sat out for the fifth straight game while Marcus Smart (right thumb sprain) missed his fourth in a row.

Shane Larkin's 3-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer brought the Celtics within 75-73 entering the fourth.

Westbrook hit a pair of free throws with 24.7 seconds remaining to put Oklahoma City up 98-92. Tatum answered with a finger roll layup with 17.6 ticks left before Westbrook made 1 of 2 at the foul line with 16.8 left to make it 99-94.

Rozier hit a 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds to go and Anthony missed both of his free throws with 8.4 seconds left, setting up Morris' heroics after a Boston timeout.

The Thunder were up 48-45 at halftime after leading by as many as 10 in the first half.

Before the game, the NBA announced it had fined Morris $15,000 for his verbal abuse of a game official following the loss to the Pelicans.

Oklahoma City hosts the Miami Heat on Friday. Boston opens a four-game road trip Friday in Portland.

--Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics down Wolves, seal playoff berth

Kyrie Irving had 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Al Horford added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 117-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Celtics clinched a playoff berth with the win.


Nemanja Bjelica had 30 points and 12 rebounds and Taj Gibson added 18 points to lead the Timberwolves, who lost their third consecutive game and fell for the fourth time in six games.

Boston won its second game in a row and prevailed for the sixth time in seven games by using a balanced offensive attack that had six players score in double figures. Marcus Morris had 17 points off the bench and Jaylen Brown added 14 for the Celtics, who survived a scare when Brown walked off the court on his own accord after sustaining a bad fall while trying to dunk in the third quarter.

Brown reportedly later was taken to a hospital.

The Celtics shot 49.4 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range while picking up 28 assists.

Terry Rozier added 13 points off the bench for Boston, whose reserves outscored Minnesota's 42-20. No. 3 pick Jayson Tatum had 12 points and five rebounds for the Celtics.

Minnesota had six players in double figures, but Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins combined for just 28 points on 11-of-33 shooting. Wiggins went 6 of 21 from the field and had four turnovers to go along with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Towns added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamal Crawford had 15 points and four assists off the bench for the Timberwolves, and Jeff Teague had 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Boston led 60-46 at halftime after using a 14-4 run midway through the second quarter to take a double-digit lead.

The Celtics capped off a three-game road trip with a 2-1 record, making them 5-1 in their past six road games.

Boston returns home to face the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night while the Timberwolves cap off a rough two-game stretch with a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Golden State Warriors.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pistons snap Thunder streak

Marcus Morris scored 24 points and the Detroit Pistons snapped Oklahoma City's eight-game winning streak with an 88-82 victory Tuesday at The Palace.

The Thunder rested All-Star small forward Kevin Durant and power forward Serge Ibaka after defeating the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Oklahoma City scored at least 110 points throughout the streak, but it shot 37.8 percent against Detroit without the two starters.

Tobias Harris had 17 points, and Andre Drummond supplied 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Detroit (40-35) moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, a half-game ahead of the Indiana pacers, who lost to the Chicago Bulls.

Russell Westbrook, who recorded his eighth triple-double of the month against the Raptors, shot 8-for-28 from the field while scoring 24 points against the Pistons. He added four rebounds and six assists. Enes Kanter finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma City (52-23).

The teams combined for 35 turnovers, 19 by the Thunder.

Oklahoma City scored just nine third-quarter points -- its lowest scoring quarter of the season -- as Detroit grabbed a double-digit lead. The Thunder shot 3-for-20 and committed seven turnovers during the quarter.

The game took a sudden turn with the Thunder leading 51-48 early in the third period. Morris made a layup to set off a 20-2 Pistons run. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who missed his first eight field-goal attempts, put the Pistons on top with a steal and layup.

Morris also hit three consecutive jumpers during that outburst, and Caldwell-Pope finished it off with two free throws. That made it 68-53, and Detroit carried a 71-57 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Thunder's previous low for a quarter was 11 points against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 15.

Detroit failed to score for the first 3:51 of the fourth, allowing the Oklahoma City to pull within eight.

A Kanter 3-pointer made it a one-point game, but Oklahoma City couldn't finish off the comeback. Reggie Jackson's dunk with 1:29 left extended Detroit's lead to 82-77.

Jackson (13 points) sealed the victory with four free throws.

Westbrook overcame a slow start to ring up 16 points by halftime as the Thunder led 48-46 at the break.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com