Thursday’s NBA action.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 124 BOSTON CELTICS 118
CLEVELAND – The Cavaliers (24-7) led by 18 coming into the fourth quarter, but the Celtics (19-14) made things interesting in the final period as they outscored the Cavs 35-23. Boston pulled within one point twice within the final two minutes, but Kyrie Irving, who continues to hit the big shots in crunch time, countered with two clutch layups to help give the Cavs some breathing room.
Boston had a chance to steal the game trailing 120-118 with 8.5 seconds left, but Jae Crowder couldn’t get the 3-pointer to drop. Richard Jefferson and Kevin Love knocked down two free-throws apiece to help Cleveland secure the victory.
Irving finished with 32 points and 12 assists. Love added 30 points and 15 rebounds. LeBron James, a day before his 32nd birthday, had 23 points, 11 dimes and eight boards.
Isaiah Thomas scored 31 points and dished out nine assists for the Celtics. Thomas has scored at least 20 points in 17 straight games, which is the league’s longest current streak.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 114 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 80
MEMPHIS – Marc Gasol netted 25 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies (21-14). Troy Daniels (VCU) added 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting off the bench. Russell Westbrook, who was ejected midway into the third quarter, came into the game averaging 10.9 assists per game, but did not record a single assist for the Thunder (20-13). Westbrook finished with 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting and six turnovers.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS 91 MIAMI HEAT 82
CHARLOTTE – Nicolas Batum helped the Hornets (19-14) outscore the Heat (10-23) 31-17 in the third with nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Batum finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Kemba Walker added 22 points and seven boards.
UTAH JAZZ 100 PHILADELPHIA 76ers 83
SALT LAKE CITY – George Hill paced the Jazz (20-13) with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists after missing the last 13 games with a sprained toe. Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood added 20 points apiece. The Sixers (7-24) actually led for most of the game until being outscored 30-9 in the fourth quarter.
PHOENIX SUNS 99 TORONTO RAPTORS 91
PHOENIX – Eric Bledsoe led the Suns (10-23) with 22 points and 10 assists. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had 24 points apiece for the Raptors (22-10), who have lost consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 20 and 21.
DALLAS MAVERICKS 101 LOS ANGELES LAKERS 89
LOS ANGELES – Wesley Matthews dropped a game-high 20 points as the Mavs (10-23) defeated the Lakers (12-24) for the 12th straight time. Deron Williams dished out 11 assists. Julius Randle scored 18 points for Los Angeles.
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