CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan compared the Chicago Bulls' success this season against the Eastern Conference's best teams to being chased by a dog.
They know they they have to keep going and can't slow down. 
DeRozan scored 42 points and the Bulls rallied to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 in overtime Wednesday night.
The Bulls trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter and were down 11 with less three minutes to go in regulation, only to pull even in the closing seconds. DeRozan had a steal and passed to Ayo Dosunmu for the tying dunk, then scored 10 in overtime. Nikola Vucevic hit a 3 in the extra period and the Bulls beat one of the NBA’s best teams after losing to one of the worst — Houston — two nights earlier.
“You run faster if a dog starts chasing you, right?” DeRozan said. “It’s kind of like that type of feeling, if that makes sense.”
Chicago is a combined 5-1 against the top three teams in the East — Boston, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. The Bulls are also 2-0 against Miami, which reached the conference finals last season.
“I guess the best bring out the best out of you,” DeRozan said. “We got to go out there and play like that every single night.”
Antetokounmpo matched a season high with 45 points and set one with 20 rebounds. He also committed two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation, and the Bucks extended their season-high losing streak to four.
BULLS RALLY
DeRozan made it a two-point game near the end of regulation with a cutting layup, then stole Antetokounmpo’s inbounds pass intended for Allen and fed Dosunmu for a dunk that tied it at 106 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo got called for traveling with about a second left.
“I read it perfect, got the steal, seen Ayo leaking out and hit him for the dunk,” DeRozan said.
Antetokounmpo sensed DeRozan knew the play. But he didn't think the game came down to that.
“It's not just one play,” he said. “It's a collection of plays. Make some shots. ... There were some in-and-out 3s. Tough.”
BULLS PREVAIL
The Bucks were up by four in OT when DeRozan scored on a finger roll and Vucevic nailed a 3 from up top to put Chicago ahead 111-110 with 1:28 left.
DeRozan made two free throws before Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis hit a 3 to tie it at 113 with 41 seconds remaining. DeRozan then hit a 12-footer and — after Antetokounmpo missed a fadeaway shot — made four free throws in the final 13.9 seconds.
Zach LaVine scored 24 points for Chicago. Vucevic added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls improved to 2-0 against the Bucks this season after losing 18 of the previous 20 to them counting the playoffs.
Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Jrue Holiday missed the game because of a non-COVID illness and Khris Middleton remained sidelined because of a sore right knee.
HEATING UP
Things got heated midway through the quarter, when Chicago's Patrick Williams bumped Grayson Allen into DeRozan. The Bulls star fell to the floor, popped up and had some heated words for Allen, who's not exactly a popular figure in Chicago. Bulls guard Alex Caruso missed seven weeks with a broken wrist following a hard foul by Allen during a game in Milwaukee last January.
Williams got called for a foul on the play. Allen made two free throws as the crowd showered him with boos.
“It's his track record,” DeRozan said. “If it was Boban (Houston's Boban Marjanovic), I wouldn't have done anything. I didn't know if it was on purpose or what happened.”
DeRozan and Portis got technicals with 5:47 remaining in the quarter after Portis made a free throw.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer said he found out Tuesday that Holiday was ill. “We were going to see how he felt this morning, and he didn't get better this morning,” he said. ... Middleton sat out his sixth straight game; he also missed the first 20 of the season.
Bulls: G Coby White (left leg) exited in the first half. ... Caruso (right shoulder) missed his third game in a row. Coach Billy Donovan said he's able to shoot, dribble and pass. But the Bulls are being cautious with him. “The biggest part of the sprain right now is him getting hit again could really set him back,” Donovan said. ... F Derrick Jones Jr. (sprained left ankle) missed his fourth consecutive game.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
Bulls: Host Detroit on Friday night.
___
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CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; DeMar DeRozan compared the Chicago Bulls' success this season against the Eastern Conference's best teams to being chased by a dog.
They know they they have to keep going and can't slow down.
DeRozan scored 42 points and the Bulls rallied to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 in overtime Wednesday night.
The Bulls trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter and were down 11 with less three minutes to go in regulation, only to pull even in the closing seconds. DeRozan had a steal and passed to Ayo Dosunmu for the tying dunk, then scored 10 in overtime. Nikola Vucevic hit a 3 in the extra period and the Bulls beat one of the NBA&rsquo;s best teams after losing to one of the worst &mdash; Houston &mdash; two nights earlier.
&ldquo;You run faster if a dog starts chasing you, right?&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of like that type of feeling, if that makes sense.&rdquo;
Chicago is a combined 5-1 against the top three teams in the East &mdash; Boston, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. The Bulls are also 2-0 against Miami, which reached the conference finals last season.
&ldquo;I guess the best bring out the best out of you,&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;We got to go out there and play like that every single night.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo matched a season high with 45 points and set one with 20 rebounds. He also committed two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation, and the Bucks extended their season-high losing streak to four.
BULLS RALLY
DeRozan made it a two-point game near the end of regulation with a cutting layup, then stole Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s inbounds pass intended for Allen and fed Dosunmu for a dunk that tied it at 106 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo got called for traveling with about a second left.
&ldquo;I read it perfect, got the steal, seen Ayo leaking out and hit him for the dunk,&rdquo; DeRozan said.
Antetokounmpo sensed DeRozan knew the play. But he didn't think the game came down to that.
&ldquo;It's not just one play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It's a collection of plays. Make some shots. ... There were some in-and-out 3s. Tough.&rdquo;
BULLS PREVAIL
The Bucks were up by four in OT when DeRozan scored on a finger roll and Vucevic nailed a 3 from up top to put Chicago ahead 111-110 with 1:28 left.
DeRozan made two free throws before Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis hit a 3 to tie it at 113 with 41 seconds remaining. DeRozan then hit a 12-footer and &mdash; after Antetokounmpo missed a fadeaway shot &mdash; made four free throws in the final 13.9 seconds.
Zach LaVine scored 24 points for Chicago. Vucevic added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls improved to 2-0 against the Bucks this season after losing 18 of the previous 20 to them counting the playoffs.
Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Jrue Holiday missed the game because of a non-COVID illness and Khris Middleton remained sidelined because of a sore right knee.
HEATING UP
Things got heated midway through the quarter, when Chicago's Patrick Williams bumped Grayson Allen into DeRozan. The Bulls star fell to the floor, popped up and had some heated words for Allen, who's not exactly a popular figure in Chicago. Bulls guard Alex Caruso missed seven weeks with a broken wrist following a hard foul by Allen during a game in Milwaukee last January.
Williams got called for a foul on the play. Allen made two free throws as the crowd showered him with boos.
&ldquo;It's his track record,&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;If it was Boban (Houston's Boban Marjanovic), I wouldn't have done anything. I didn't know if it was on purpose or what happened.&rdquo;
DeRozan and Portis got technicals with 5:47 remaining in the quarter after Portis made a free throw.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer said he found out Tuesday that Holiday was ill. &ldquo;We were going to see how he felt this morning, and he didn't get better this morning,&rdquo; he said. ... Middleton sat out his sixth straight game; he also missed the first 20 of the season.
Bulls: G Coby White (left leg) exited in the first half. ... Caruso (right shoulder) missed his third game in a row. Coach Billy Donovan said he's able to shoot, dribble and pass. But the Bulls are being cautious with him. &ldquo;The biggest part of the sprain right now is him getting hit again could really set him back,&rdquo; Donovan said. ... F Derrick Jones Jr. (sprained left ankle) missed his fourth consecutive game.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
Bulls: Host Detroit on Friday night.
___
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CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; DeMar DeRozan compared the Chicago Bulls' success this season against the Eastern Conference's best teams to being chased by a dog.
They know they they have to keep going and can't slow down.
DeRozan scored 42 points and the Bulls rallied to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 in overtime Wednesday night.
The Bulls trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter and were down 11 with less three minutes to go in regulation, only to pull even in the closing seconds. DeRozan had a steal and passed to Ayo Dosunmu for the tying dunk, then scored 10 in overtime. Nikola Vucevic hit a 3 in the extra period and the Bulls beat one of the NBA&rsquo;s best teams after losing to one of the worst &mdash; Houston &mdash; two nights earlier.
&ldquo;You run faster if a dog starts chasing you, right?&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of like that type of feeling, if that makes sense.&rdquo;
Chicago is a combined 5-1 against the top three teams in the East &mdash; Boston, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. The Bulls are also 2-0 against Miami, which reached the conference finals last season.
&ldquo;I guess the best bring out the best out of you,&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;We got to go out there and play like that every single night.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo matched a season high with 45 points and set one with 20 rebounds. He also committed two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation, and the Bucks extended their season-high losing streak to four.
BULLS RALLY
DeRozan made it a two-point game near the end of regulation with a cutting layup, then stole Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s inbounds pass intended for Allen and fed Dosunmu for a dunk that tied it at 106 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo got called for traveling with about a second left.
&ldquo;I read it perfect, got the steal, seen Ayo leaking out and hit him for the dunk,&rdquo; DeRozan said.
Antetokounmpo sensed DeRozan knew the play. But he didn't think the game came down to that.
&ldquo;It's not just one play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It's a collection of plays. Make some shots. ... There were some in-and-out 3s. Tough.&rdquo;
BULLS PREVAIL
The Bucks were up by four in OT when DeRozan scored on a finger roll and Vucevic nailed a 3 from up top to put Chicago ahead 111-110 with 1:28 left.
DeRozan made two free throws before Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis hit a 3 to tie it at 113 with 41 seconds remaining. DeRozan then hit a 12-footer and &mdash; after Antetokounmpo missed a fadeaway shot &mdash; made four free throws in the final 13.9 seconds.
Zach LaVine scored 24 points for Chicago. Vucevic added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls improved to 2-0 against the Bucks this season after losing 18 of the previous 20 to them counting the playoffs.
Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Jrue Holiday missed the game because of a non-COVID illness and Khris Middleton remained sidelined because of a sore right knee.
HEATING UP
Things got heated midway through the quarter, when Chicago's Patrick Williams bumped Grayson Allen into DeRozan. The Bulls star fell to the floor, popped up and had some heated words for Allen, who's not exactly a popular figure in Chicago. Bulls guard Alex Caruso missed seven weeks with a broken wrist following a hard foul by Allen during a game in Milwaukee last January.
Williams got called for a foul on the play. Allen made two free throws as the crowd showered him with boos.
&ldquo;It's his track record,&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;If it was Boban (Houston's Boban Marjanovic), I wouldn't have done anything. I didn't know if it was on purpose or what happened.&rdquo;
DeRozan and Portis got technicals with 5:47 remaining in the quarter after Portis made a free throw.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer said he found out Tuesday that Holiday was ill. &ldquo;We were going to see how he felt this morning, and he didn't get better this morning,&rdquo; he said. ... Middleton sat out his sixth straight game; he also missed the first 20 of the season.
Bulls: G Coby White (left leg) exited in the first half. ... Caruso (right shoulder) missed his third game in a row. Coach Billy Donovan said he's able to shoot, dribble and pass. But the Bulls are being cautious with him. &ldquo;The biggest part of the sprain right now is him getting hit again could really set him back,&rdquo; Donovan said. ... F Derrick Jones Jr. (sprained left ankle) missed his fourth consecutive game.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
Bulls: Host Detroit on Friday night.
___
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DeMar DeRozan scored 42 points and the Bulls rallied to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 in overtime.

DeRozan scores 42 points, Bulls beat Bucks 119-113 in OT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Marcus Carr tied a Texas record with 10 3-pointers and matched his career high with 41 points as the sixth-ranked Longhorns beat Texas A&amp;M-Commerce 97-72 on Tuesday night.
Carr, a senior, previously scored 41 while playing for Minnesota against Nebraska on Feb. 27, 2021. He scored 33 points in the first half alone Tuesday, matching a Texas record for a half set by Jim Krivacs in 1978.
Carr&rsquo;s total was the most by a Texas player since Reggie Freeman had 43 points against Fresno State on Dec. 14, 1996.
&ldquo;We wanted to make Texas beat us from 3,&rdquo; A&amp;M-Commerce coach Jaret von Rosenberg said. &ldquo;Carr really had a night. The rim looked like an ocean for him.&rdquo;
Texas (11-1) played its fourth straight game without coach Chris Beard, who was suspended without pay after his Dec. 12 arrest on a felony family violence charge. It was the Longhorns&rsquo; first game since Beard&rsquo;s fianc&eacute;e, Randi Trew, issued a statement saying Beard did not strangle her and she never wanted him arrested or prosecuted.
Carr converted 13 of 19 shots in 30 minutes, including 10 of 15 3-pointers. He has totaled 103 points in his last four games. He made eight 3s in the first half, a school record for a half, as the Longhorns led 47-29 at the break.
&ldquo;Most of the shots that I put up felt really good,&rdquo; Carr said. &ldquo;I thought they were going in. My teammates just kept giving me confidence after they&rsquo;d seen me knock down the first couple. They just said, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to look for you. Keep shooting. Keep knocking them down.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Carr attempted only four shots in the second half. He had two assists in each half.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;d think he&rsquo;d want to try to continue gunning, but he came out the opposite,&rdquo; acting coach Rodney Terry said. &ldquo;He was a willing passer.&rdquo;
Terry removed Carr with 3:26 remaining knowing he needed one more 3-pointer to break Al Coleman&rsquo;s school record set in 1997.
&ldquo;We need him on Saturday (at Oklahoma),&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need him the last three, four minutes of the game, and he turns his ankle. We need him healthy.&rdquo;
Carr said he became aware of the 3-point record when it was posted on the arena&rsquo;s video board.
&ldquo;Timmy (Allen) looked at me and said get one more,&rdquo; Carr said. &ldquo;Not to say I didn&rsquo;t want to break it. But it wasn&rsquo;t of as much importance to me. Honestly, at that point, I was really just focused on trying to get better on defense.&rdquo;
Freshman Dillon Mitchell scored a season-best 16 points for Texas, providing an inside complement to Carr&rsquo;s long-range shooting. Arterio Morris scored 12 points. Allen had eight points, eight assists and six rebounds. Tyrese Hunter also had eight assists.
C.J. Roberts scored 20 points to lead A&amp;M-Commerce (4-10). Tommie Lewis added 19 points for the Lions.
Carr is the first Longhorn other than Terry to be allowed to speak to the media since Beard&rsquo;s arrest.
&ldquo;Right now, R.T. is our coach. We&rsquo;re focused on being led by him. Obviously, it&rsquo;s an adjustment, but a good and smooth one,&rdquo; Carr said.
BIG PICTURE
Texas A&amp;M-Commerce: The Lions moved up to Division I this season, and the transition has not been easy. They played 13 of their first 14 games on the road or at neutral sites and have lost six straight by an average of 15.8 points. They attempt a lot of 3-pointers, 29 a game before Tuesday, with 27% accuracy. Texas limited A&amp;M-Commerce to 15 attempts. The Lions made seven, and they shot 53% overall.
Texas: The Longhorns have 73 assists on 101 baskets in their last three games. They made 28 assists on 37 baskets against A&amp;M-Commerce.
DISU UPDATE
The Longhorns caught a break when the left knee injury starting forward Dylan Disu suffered last week against Louisiana-Lafayette was diagnosed as a sprain and not something more serious. Disu had season-ending surgery to the same knee while playing for Vanderbilt in 2020-21. Disu practiced this week but did not play Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Texas A&amp;M-Commerce hosts Incarnate Word Saturday in its Southland Conference opener.
Texas is at Oklahoma Saturday for its Big 12 opener.

Carr’s total was the most by a Texas player since Reggie Freeman had 43 points against Fresno State on Dec. 14, 1996.

Carr hits 10 threes, scores 41, No. 6 Texas beats A&M-Commerce

DALLAS (AP) — Jalen Brunson missed his first Dallas reunion after the New York Knicks point guard was ruled out of a meeting with the Mavericks with a sore right hip.
The club announced the decision not long before the start of Tuesday night's game. Brunson played when the Knicks lost to the Mavericks 121-100 in New York in early December. The rematch was his first missed game of the season.
Brunson was drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2018, the same year Mavs superstar Luka Doncic went third overall. 
A two-time NCAA champion at Villanova, Brunson grew into quite the sidekick for Doncic before signing with the Knicks as a free agent this past summer.
Wearing a baby blue hoodie on the Knicks bench, Brunson watched a tribute video after the first quarter and waved to the cheering crowd afterward. He hugged several members of the Dallas staff on his way to the locker room at halftime.
Brunson played a pivotal role in the Mavericks winning a first-round series against Utah last season when Doncic missed the first three games in the six-game series due to a calf strain.
The Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals, losing to Golden State, which won the title.
Brunson blossomed as a starter alongside Doncic in coach Jason Kidd's Dallas debut last season, but was interested in being the lead point guard somewhere else.
Brunson had strong ties to the Knicks. His dad, Rick Brunson, is an assistant coach and former player for New York. His dad's agent, Leon Rose, is president of the Knicks.
New York played in Dallas six days after the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-nba-sports-tom-thibodeau-jalen-brunson-54b1134d3e048865ff73a9797b32592b">NBA docked the club a second-round pick</a> in the 2025 draft for engaging in talks with Brunson before free agency opened June 30.
___
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson missed his first Dallas reunion after the New York Knicks point guard was ruled out of a meeting with the Mavericks with a sore right hip.
The club announced the decision not long before the start of Tuesday night's game. Brunson played when the Knicks lost to the Mavericks 121-100 in New York in early December. The rematch was his first missed game of the season.
Brunson was drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2018, the same year Mavs superstar Luka Doncic went third overall.
A two-time NCAA champion at Villanova, Brunson grew into quite the sidekick for Doncic before signing with the Knicks as a free agent this past summer.
Wearing a baby blue hoodie on the Knicks bench, Brunson watched a tribute video after the first quarter and waved to the cheering crowd afterward. He hugged several members of the Dallas staff on his way to the locker room at halftime.
Brunson played a pivotal role in the Mavericks winning a first-round series against Utah last season when Doncic missed the first three games in the six-game series due to a calf strain.
The Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals, losing to Golden State, which won the title.
Brunson blossomed as a starter alongside Doncic in coach Jason Kidd's Dallas debut last season, but was interested in being the lead point guard somewhere else.
Brunson had strong ties to the Knicks. His dad, Rick Brunson, is an assistant coach and former player for New York. His dad's agent, Leon Rose, is president of the Knicks.
New York played in Dallas six days after the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-nba-sports-tom-thibodeau-jalen-brunson-54b1134d3e048865ff73a9797b32592b">NBA docked the club a second-round pick</a> in the 2025 draft for engaging in talks with Brunson before free agency opened June 30.
___
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson missed his first Dallas reunion after the New York Knicks point guard was ruled out of a meeting with the Mavericks with a sore right hip.
The club announced the decision not long before the start of Tuesday night's game. Brunson played when the Knicks lost to the Mavericks 121-100 in New York in early December. The rematch was his first missed game of the season.
Brunson was drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2018, the same year Mavs superstar Luka Doncic went third overall.
A two-time NCAA champion at Villanova, Brunson grew into quite the sidekick for Doncic before signing with the Knicks as a free agent this past summer.
Wearing a baby blue hoodie on the Knicks bench, Brunson watched a tribute video after the first quarter and waved to the cheering crowd afterward. He hugged several members of the Dallas staff on his way to the locker room at halftime.
Brunson played a pivotal role in the Mavericks winning a first-round series against Utah last season when Doncic missed the first three games in the six-game series due to a calf strain.
The Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals, losing to Golden State, which won the title.
Brunson blossomed as a starter alongside Doncic in coach Jason Kidd's Dallas debut last season, but was interested in being the lead point guard somewhere else.
Brunson had strong ties to the Knicks. His dad, Rick Brunson, is an assistant coach and former player for New York. His dad's agent, Leon Rose, is president of the Knicks.
New York played in Dallas six days after the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-nba-sports-tom-thibodeau-jalen-brunson-54b1134d3e048865ff73a9797b32592b">NBA docked the club a second-round pick</a> in the 2025 draft for engaging in talks with Brunson before free agency opened June 30.

Jalen Brunson missed his first Dallas reunion after the Knicks point guard was ruled out of a meeting with a sore right hip.

Knicks' Jalen Brunson sits for Dallas reunion with sore hip

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire.
The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable.
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior. 
___
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BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Boston Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire.
The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable.
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior.

Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable.

Celtics interim coach Mazzulla misses game with eye problem

DALLAS (AP) — Include the extra rebound, or don't.
It doesn't really matter with Luka Doncic's logic-defying stat line that had current and former NBA stars, along with current and former teammates, buzzing on Twitter.
Doncic had 60 points, a Dallas franchise record, a career-best 21 rebounds and 10 assists in a wild <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd">126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks</a> on Tuesday night.
Set up by his <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">improbable tying jumper in the final second of regulation</a> off his intentionally missed free throw, Doncic had the first 60-20-10 triple-double in NBA history.
Plenty of peers noticed, including former European sidekick Kristaps Porzingis, traded to Washington last season to break up the pairing that never really clicked as planned.
Porzingis referenced their shared playing roots in Spain, <a href="https://twitter.com/kporzee/status/1607958161235021833?s=20&amp;t=kHqaiyfcpIMOZV08YcsVIg">with a tweet in Spanish</a> that translated to “This guy is not normal.” 
And the 7-foot-3 Latvian skipped that extraneous rebound on a night when he could celebrate a double-double of his own with 24 points and 10 rebounds as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-washington-wizards-sports-basketball-bradley-beal-1f371b550fa7caec53816138b20e989a">the Wizards beat Philadelphia</a>.
Doncic broke Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 points from 2004 two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of the retired German star outside the arena.
Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history (sixth overall). The 23-year-old All-Star could hold that title some day.
“It'll be another statue in Dallas,” Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett wrote on Twitter.
<a href="https://twitter.com/kylekuzma/status/1607953741403103236?s=20&amp;t=JU9SqSAOsGRs9wWDr4MY5Q">Kyle Kuzma included the extra rebound</a> while calling Doncic's numbers “INSANE!!!!!!!”
Brooklyn star Kevin Durant felt the need for an expletive in comparing Doncic's night to video-game numbers.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he'll never see another night like it, and teammate Christian Wood, whose 3-pointer sparked the rally from nine points down in the final 30 seconds of regulation, <a href="https://twitter.com/Chriswood_5/status/1607967155093389312">said he was sending a “GOAT”</a> to Doncic's farm in his native Slovenia.
“Everybody is still in shock,” coach Jason Kidd said after the game. “ The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight for a player — Luka — doing something that’s never been done before.”
___
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Include the extra rebound, or don't.
It doesn't really matter with Luka Doncic's logic-defying stat line that had current and former NBA stars, along with current and former teammates, buzzing on Twitter.
Doncic had 60 points, a Dallas franchise record, a career-best 21 rebounds and 10 assists in a wild <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd">126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks</a> on Tuesday night.
Set up by his <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">improbable tying jumper in the final second of regulation</a> off his intentionally missed free throw, Doncic had the first 60-20-10 triple-double in NBA history.
Plenty of peers noticed, including former European sidekick Kristaps Porzingis, traded to Washington last season to break up the pairing that never really clicked as planned.
Porzingis referenced their shared playing roots in Spain, <a href="https://twitter.com/kporzee/status/1607958161235021833?s=20&amp;t=kHqaiyfcpIMOZV08YcsVIg">with a tweet in Spanish</a> that translated to &ldquo;This guy is not normal.&rdquo;
And the 7-foot-3 Latvian skipped that extraneous rebound on a night when he could celebrate a double-double of his own with 24 points and 10 rebounds as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-washington-wizards-sports-basketball-bradley-beal-1f371b550fa7caec53816138b20e989a">the Wizards beat Philadelphia</a>.
Doncic broke Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 points from 2004 two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of the retired German star outside the arena.
Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history (sixth overall). The 23-year-old All-Star could hold that title some day.
&ldquo;It'll be another statue in Dallas,&rdquo; Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett wrote on Twitter.
<a href="https://twitter.com/kylekuzma/status/1607953741403103236?s=20&amp;t=JU9SqSAOsGRs9wWDr4MY5Q">Kyle Kuzma included the extra rebound</a> while calling Doncic's numbers &ldquo;INSANE!!!!!!!&rdquo;
Brooklyn star Kevin Durant felt the need for an expletive in comparing Doncic's night to video-game numbers.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he'll never see another night like it, and teammate Christian Wood, whose 3-pointer sparked the rally from nine points down in the final 30 seconds of regulation, <a href="https://twitter.com/Chriswood_5/status/1607967155093389312">said he was sending a &ldquo;GOAT&rdquo;</a> to Doncic's farm in his native Slovenia.
&ldquo;Everybody is still in shock,&rdquo; coach Jason Kidd said after the game. &ldquo; The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight for a player &mdash; Luka &mdash; doing something that&rsquo;s never been done before.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Include the extra rebound, or don't.
It doesn't really matter with Luka Doncic's logic-defying stat line that had current and former NBA stars, along with current and former teammates, buzzing on Twitter.
Doncic had 60 points, a Dallas franchise record, a career-best 21 rebounds and 10 assists in a wild <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd">126-121 overtime victory over the New York Knicks</a> on Tuesday night.
Set up by his <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">improbable tying jumper in the final second of regulation</a> off his intentionally missed free throw, Doncic had the first 60-20-10 triple-double in NBA history.
Plenty of peers noticed, including former European sidekick Kristaps Porzingis, traded to Washington last season to break up the pairing that never really clicked as planned.
Porzingis referenced their shared playing roots in Spain, <a href="https://twitter.com/kporzee/status/1607958161235021833?s=20&amp;t=kHqaiyfcpIMOZV08YcsVIg">with a tweet in Spanish</a> that translated to &ldquo;This guy is not normal.&rdquo;
And the 7-foot-3 Latvian skipped that extraneous rebound on a night when he could celebrate a double-double of his own with 24 points and 10 rebounds as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-washington-wizards-sports-basketball-bradley-beal-1f371b550fa7caec53816138b20e989a">the Wizards beat Philadelphia</a>.
Doncic broke Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 points from 2004 two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of the retired German star outside the arena.
Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history (sixth overall). The 23-year-old All-Star could hold that title some day.
&ldquo;It'll be another statue in Dallas,&rdquo; Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett wrote on Twitter.
<a href="https://twitter.com/kylekuzma/status/1607953741403103236?s=20&amp;t=JU9SqSAOsGRs9wWDr4MY5Q">Kyle Kuzma included the extra rebound</a> while calling Doncic's numbers &ldquo;INSANE!!!!!!!&rdquo;
Brooklyn star Kevin Durant felt the need for an expletive in comparing Doncic's night to video-game numbers.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he'll never see another night like it, and teammate Christian Wood, whose 3-pointer sparked the rally from nine points down in the final 30 seconds of regulation, <a href="https://twitter.com/Chriswood_5/status/1607967155093389312">said he was sending a &ldquo;GOAT&rdquo;</a> to Doncic's farm in his native Slovenia.
&ldquo;Everybody is still in shock,&rdquo; coach Jason Kidd said after the game. &ldquo; The history of the game is written by the players and it was written again tonight for a player &mdash; Luka &mdash; doing something that&rsquo;s never been done before.&rdquo;

Luka Doncic's logic-defying stat line had current and former NBA stars, along with current and former teammates, buzzing on Twitter

It's no typo: 60-21-10 stat line for Mavs' Luka Doncic goes viral

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, Jamal Murray added 25 and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
“We got down by 20 points and we didn’t drop our heads,” coach Michael Malone said. “We just stayed with it, kept on chopping away and were able to get the win.”
Porter and Murray sparked an 8-0 run in a span of 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter to turn a tie game into another win for the top team in the Western Conference. 
Porter's 3-pointer broke a 96-all tie with 3:14 to play and Murray followed with a desperation 3 just before the shot clock expired. Murray then added a steal and breakaway layup to make it 104-96 with 2:14 to play and Denver hung on from there.
“That’s what you want,” Malone said. “You need your best players to step up.”
Nikola Jokic added 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won eight of their last nine games.
De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 11 for the Kings, who have lost three of four games to open a six-game homestand. 
“This was a game, especially the first of a back-to-back, we needed to have more energy than them,” Huerter said. “We came out the right way … and obviously they kind of worked us in the second half.”
The Kings built a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Nuggets chipped away thanks to the play of Porter, who scored 19 points in the first half. 
Sacramento led 56-47 at the break, holding Jokic to two points on two shots.
“The most important stretch of this game was how we closed the second quarter,” Malone said. “They had all the momentum, they were feeling good and we allowed that to happen. They didn’t feel us. To have that run of 23-12 to kind of get back in the game, cut it to nine at the half, and then we used our third and fourth quarter to kind of continue that.”
But Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four points headed into the tight final period. 
“At some point we were tired and made some mistakes,” said acting Kings coach Jordi Fernandez. “That’s human nature.”
SHORT-HANDED
The Kings were without coach Mike Brown and star center Domantas Sabonis.
Brown entered the health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and missed the game. Fernandez took his place.
Sabonis was sidelined with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Sabonis hurt his non-shooting hand in the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s loss to Washington on Friday. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday. 
Denver forward Aaron Gordon missed the game with a shoulder injury.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: This was the third time in the past six seasons that Jokic was held to two points or fewer in the first half when playing at least 17 minutes. ... G Bruce Brown left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and didn't return. ... Zeke Nnaji replaced Gordon in the starting lineup for his third start in three seasons in the NBA. He fouled out with no points in 15 minutes. 
Kings: Alex Len, who had played 25 minutes all season, started in place of Sabonis. ... Former Kings GM Vlade Divac sat courtside next to owner Vivek Ranadive.
UP NEXT
The teams finish a two-game series with another game in Sacramento on Wednesday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, Jamal Murray added 25 and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
&ldquo;We got down by 20 points and we didn&rsquo;t drop our heads,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We just stayed with it, kept on chopping away and were able to get the win.&rdquo;
Porter and Murray sparked an 8-0 run in a span of 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter to turn a tie game into another win for the top team in the Western Conference.
Porter's 3-pointer broke a 96-all tie with 3:14 to play and Murray followed with a desperation 3 just before the shot clock expired. Murray then added a steal and breakaway layup to make it 104-96 with 2:14 to play and Denver hung on from there.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you want,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;You need your best players to step up.&rdquo;
Nikola Jokic added 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won eight of their last nine games.
De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 11 for the Kings, who have lost three of four games to open a six-game homestand.
&ldquo;This was a game, especially the first of a back-to-back, we needed to have more energy than them,&rdquo; Huerter said. &ldquo;We came out the right way &hellip; and obviously they kind of worked us in the second half.&rdquo;
The Kings built a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Nuggets chipped away thanks to the play of Porter, who scored 19 points in the first half.
Sacramento led 56-47 at the break, holding Jokic to two points on two shots.
&ldquo;The most important stretch of this game was how we closed the second quarter,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They had all the momentum, they were feeling good and we allowed that to happen. They didn&rsquo;t feel us. To have that run of 23-12 to kind of get back in the game, cut it to nine at the half, and then we used our third and fourth quarter to kind of continue that.&rdquo;
But Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four points headed into the tight final period.
&ldquo;At some point we were tired and made some mistakes,&rdquo; said acting Kings coach Jordi Fernandez. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s human nature.&rdquo;
SHORT-HANDED
The Kings were without coach Mike Brown and star center Domantas Sabonis.
Brown entered the health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and missed the game. Fernandez took his place.
Sabonis was sidelined with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Sabonis hurt his non-shooting hand in the fourth quarter of Sacramento&rsquo;s loss to Washington on Friday. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
Denver forward Aaron Gordon missed the game with a shoulder injury.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: This was the third time in the past six seasons that Jokic was held to two points or fewer in the first half when playing at least 17 minutes. ... G Bruce Brown left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and didn't return. ... Zeke Nnaji replaced Gordon in the starting lineup for his third start in three seasons in the NBA. He fouled out with no points in 15 minutes.
Kings: Alex Len, who had played 25 minutes all season, started in place of Sabonis. ... Former Kings GM Vlade Divac sat courtside next to owner Vivek Ranadive.
UP NEXT
The teams finish a two-game series with another game in Sacramento on Wednesday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, Jamal Murray added 25 and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
&ldquo;We got down by 20 points and we didn&rsquo;t drop our heads,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We just stayed with it, kept on chopping away and were able to get the win.&rdquo;
Porter and Murray sparked an 8-0 run in a span of 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter to turn a tie game into another win for the top team in the Western Conference.
Porter's 3-pointer broke a 96-all tie with 3:14 to play and Murray followed with a desperation 3 just before the shot clock expired. Murray then added a steal and breakaway layup to make it 104-96 with 2:14 to play and Denver hung on from there.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you want,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;You need your best players to step up.&rdquo;
Nikola Jokic added 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won eight of their last nine games.
De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 11 for the Kings, who have lost three of four games to open a six-game homestand.
&ldquo;This was a game, especially the first of a back-to-back, we needed to have more energy than them,&rdquo; Huerter said. &ldquo;We came out the right way &hellip; and obviously they kind of worked us in the second half.&rdquo;
The Kings built a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Nuggets chipped away thanks to the play of Porter, who scored 19 points in the first half.
Sacramento led 56-47 at the break, holding Jokic to two points on two shots.
&ldquo;The most important stretch of this game was how we closed the second quarter,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They had all the momentum, they were feeling good and we allowed that to happen. They didn&rsquo;t feel us. To have that run of 23-12 to kind of get back in the game, cut it to nine at the half, and then we used our third and fourth quarter to kind of continue that.&rdquo;
But Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four points headed into the tight final period.
&ldquo;At some point we were tired and made some mistakes,&rdquo; said acting Kings coach Jordi Fernandez. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s human nature.&rdquo;
SHORT-HANDED
The Kings were without coach Mike Brown and star center Domantas Sabonis.
Brown entered the health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and missed the game. Fernandez took his place.
Sabonis was sidelined with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Sabonis hurt his non-shooting hand in the fourth quarter of Sacramento&rsquo;s loss to Washington on Friday. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
Denver forward Aaron Gordon missed the game with a shoulder injury.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: This was the third time in the past six seasons that Jokic was held to two points or fewer in the first half when playing at least 17 minutes. ... G Bruce Brown left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and didn't return. ... Zeke Nnaji replaced Gordon in the starting lineup for his third start in three seasons in the NBA. He fouled out with no points in 15 minutes.
Kings: Alex Len, who had played 25 minutes all season, started in place of Sabonis. ... Former Kings GM Vlade Divac sat courtside next to owner Vivek Ranadive.
&nbsp;

Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106.

Nuggets rally to beat Kings 113-106 for 5th straight win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga is earning more minutes for his defense, and he showed everybody the big strides he has made as a stopper with veteran Andre Iguodala as his guide and mentor.
Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Kuminga delivered on both ends down the stretch, including a gutsy steal that helped the Golden State Warriors hold off the Charlotte Hornets late for a 110-105 win Tuesday night.
Kuminga cherishes getting a chance with the game on the line late, which isn't always the case.
“If Coach trusts you and puts you in there, you've got to go and execute things and make things happen,” said Kuminga, a second-year forward.
In one flashy sequence, Kuminga had a steal on one possession and then a defensive rebound and go-ahead dunk moments later on the other end. He made a short floating jumper from the baseline with 1:22 to go, and then dunked again with 21 seconds left. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
“He's playing really well defensively," coach Steve Kerr said. “Just wanted to stay with him because of the impact he was making on the ball and with his energy.”
Jordan Poole had 24 points and six assists for Golden State. Kevon Looney finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Thompson went 5 for 12 from 3-point range and also had five rebounds and four assists.
LaMelo Bell overcame 7-of-25 shooting — 2 for 11 from deep — to finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte completed the second game of a back-to-back after losing 124-113 at Portland on Monday.
Terry Rozier scored 19 points and Mason Plumlee grabbed 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who went 2-4 on a six-game West Coast road swing. 
The backcourt of Thompson and Poole delivered with Stephen Curry sitting out a sixth straight game with a partially dislocated left shoulder on a night when his father, Dell, was in town working the Hornets broadcast.
Golden State's Draymond Green contributed nine points, 10 rebounds and five assists while dealing with right foot soreness.
TALKING TECHS
After Golden State got six technicals in a 123-109 Christmas Day matchup with Memphis, Kerr chatted with his team about it leading into Tuesday.
“The message is we have to show more poise than that, we can't be in a battle with officials every night,” Kerr said. “There's going to be some games where you get frustrated and there are plenty of games that go perfectly well. There's going to be some of both, you just have to be able to play through that. We haven't done that.”
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte shot 4 for 23 from deep in the first half and 10 of 38 overall. ... G Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game against his former team with a sprained right hand. He played part of the 2020-21 season with Golden State before signing with the Hornets as a free agent in August 2021. ... Charlotte has lost the last three on the Warriors' home floor dating to a 93-87 victory on Nov. 2, 2019, in the team's initial visit to Chase Center. ... The Hornets fell to 3-9 playing on consecutive days, swept for a third time. 
Warriors: The Warriors are 3-3 without Curry. ... All-Star Andrew Wiggins missed his 11th straight game and 13th overall with a strained muscle in his right thigh area. “Unfortunately, he's sick now,” Kerr said. “He's been cleared to play but he's not in the building tonight because he came down ill yesterday.” ... F JaMychal Green remains in the league's health and safety protocols and there's no timetable for his return.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Thunder on Thursday night to begin a four-game homestand riding a three-game winning streak in the series.
Warriors: Host the Jazz on Wednesday night in the back-to-back.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jonathan Kuminga is earning more minutes for his defense, and he showed everybody the big strides he has made as a stopper with veteran Andre Iguodala as his guide and mentor.
Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Kuminga delivered on both ends down the stretch, including a gutsy steal that helped the Golden State Warriors hold off the Charlotte Hornets late for a 110-105 win Tuesday night.
Kuminga cherishes getting a chance with the game on the line late, which isn't always the case.
&ldquo;If Coach trusts you and puts you in there, you've got to go and execute things and make things happen,&rdquo; said Kuminga, a second-year forward.
In one flashy sequence, Kuminga had a steal on one possession and then a defensive rebound and go-ahead dunk moments later on the other end. He made a short floating jumper from the baseline with 1:22 to go, and then dunked again with 21 seconds left. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;He's playing really well defensively," coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;Just wanted to stay with him because of the impact he was making on the ball and with his energy.&rdquo;
Jordan Poole had 24 points and six assists for Golden State. Kevon Looney finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Thompson went 5 for 12 from 3-point range and also had five rebounds and four assists.
LaMelo Bell overcame 7-of-25 shooting &mdash; 2 for 11 from deep &mdash; to finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte completed the second game of a back-to-back after losing 124-113 at Portland on Monday.
Terry Rozier scored 19 points and Mason Plumlee grabbed 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who went 2-4 on a six-game West Coast road swing.
The backcourt of Thompson and Poole delivered with Stephen Curry sitting out a sixth straight game with a partially dislocated left shoulder on a night when his father, Dell, was in town working the Hornets broadcast.
Golden State's Draymond Green contributed nine points, 10 rebounds and five assists while dealing with right foot soreness.
TALKING TECHS
After Golden State got six technicals in a 123-109 Christmas Day matchup with Memphis, Kerr chatted with his team about it leading into Tuesday.
&ldquo;The message is we have to show more poise than that, we can't be in a battle with officials every night,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There's going to be some games where you get frustrated and there are plenty of games that go perfectly well. There's going to be some of both, you just have to be able to play through that. We haven't done that.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte shot 4 for 23 from deep in the first half and 10 of 38 overall. ... G Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game against his former team with a sprained right hand. He played part of the 2020-21 season with Golden State before signing with the Hornets as a free agent in August 2021. ... Charlotte has lost the last three on the Warriors' home floor dating to a 93-87 victory on Nov. 2, 2019, in the team's initial visit to Chase Center. ... The Hornets fell to 3-9 playing on consecutive days, swept for a third time.
Warriors: The Warriors are 3-3 without Curry. ... All-Star Andrew Wiggins missed his 11th straight game and 13th overall with a strained muscle in his right thigh area. &ldquo;Unfortunately, he's sick now,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He's been cleared to play but he's not in the building tonight because he came down ill yesterday.&rdquo; ... F JaMychal Green remains in the league's health and safety protocols and there's no timetable for his return.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Thunder on Thursday night to begin a four-game homestand riding a three-game winning streak in the series.
Warriors: Host the Jazz on Wednesday night in the back-to-back.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jonathan Kuminga is earning more minutes for his defense, and he showed everybody the big strides he has made as a stopper with veteran Andre Iguodala as his guide and mentor.
Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Kuminga delivered on both ends down the stretch, including a gutsy steal that helped the Golden State Warriors hold off the Charlotte Hornets late for a 110-105 win Tuesday night.
Kuminga cherishes getting a chance with the game on the line late, which isn't always the case.
&ldquo;If Coach trusts you and puts you in there, you've got to go and execute things and make things happen,&rdquo; said Kuminga, a second-year forward.
In one flashy sequence, Kuminga had a steal on one possession and then a defensive rebound and go-ahead dunk moments later on the other end. He made a short floating jumper from the baseline with 1:22 to go, and then dunked again with 21 seconds left. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;He's playing really well defensively," coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;Just wanted to stay with him because of the impact he was making on the ball and with his energy.&rdquo;
Jordan Poole had 24 points and six assists for Golden State. Kevon Looney finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Thompson went 5 for 12 from 3-point range and also had five rebounds and four assists.
LaMelo Bell overcame 7-of-25 shooting &mdash; 2 for 11 from deep &mdash; to finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte completed the second game of a back-to-back after losing 124-113 at Portland on Monday.
Terry Rozier scored 19 points and Mason Plumlee grabbed 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who went 2-4 on a six-game West Coast road swing.
The backcourt of Thompson and Poole delivered with Stephen Curry sitting out a sixth straight game with a partially dislocated left shoulder on a night when his father, Dell, was in town working the Hornets broadcast.
Golden State's Draymond Green contributed nine points, 10 rebounds and five assists while dealing with right foot soreness.
TALKING TECHS
After Golden State got six technicals in a 123-109 Christmas Day matchup with Memphis, Kerr chatted with his team about it leading into Tuesday.
&ldquo;The message is we have to show more poise than that, we can't be in a battle with officials every night,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There's going to be some games where you get frustrated and there are plenty of games that go perfectly well. There's going to be some of both, you just have to be able to play through that. We haven't done that.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte shot 4 for 23 from deep in the first half and 10 of 38 overall. ... G Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game against his former team with a sprained right hand. He played part of the 2020-21 season with Golden State before signing with the Hornets as a free agent in August 2021. ... Charlotte has lost the last three on the Warriors' home floor dating to a 93-87 victory on Nov. 2, 2019, in the team's initial visit to Chase Center. ... The Hornets fell to 3-9 playing on consecutive days, swept for a third time.
Warriors: The Warriors are 3-3 without Curry. ... All-Star Andrew Wiggins missed his 11th straight game and 13th overall with a strained muscle in his right thigh area. &ldquo;Unfortunately, he's sick now,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He's been cleared to play but he's not in the building tonight because he came down ill yesterday.&rdquo; ... F JaMychal Green remains in the league's health and safety protocols and there's no timetable for his return.
&nbsp;

Klay Thompson scored 29 points and the Golden State Warriors held off the Charlotte Hornets late for a 110-105 win.

Klay Thompson scores 29, leads Warriors past Hornets 110-105

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic thought his improbable tying basket in the final second of regulation actually won the game.
No biggie. The Dallas superstar just set the table for a triple-double unlike the NBA has ever seen.
Doncic had a franchise-record 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, including the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">tying basket off his intentionally missed free throw</a> to force overtime, as the Mavericks rallied for a wild 126-121 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
After grabbing the loose ball on a rebound and shooting the 11-foot jumper in one motion, the 23-year-old danced around while waving his arms as the thinned-out crowd expecting a loss celebrated wildly.
It was 115-115 with 1.0 seconds remaining.
“A lot of people asked me about this back in the locker room, and I said I thought we won it,” Doncic said. “That’s why I went to the crowd like this. I thought we won the game, and then I see it’s tied. I was like, ‘Oof.’”
Dallas was down nine with 33 seconds left in regulation before getting even in a back-and-forth sequence capped by Doncic grazing the rim and hitting the backboard with the intentional miss.
The first 60-point game in Dallas history also included Doncic's career high in rebounds and was the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history. The young Slovenian had his seventh triple-double and the league's highest-scoring performance of the season.
The Mavericks moved three games over .500 with a fourth consecutive victory, both marks matching their season bests.
Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 33 points and Dallas native Julius Randle had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a fourth consecutive game coming off an eight-game winning streak, their longest in almost nine years.
Jalen Brunson missed the game with a hip injury, unable to play in what would have been his return to Dallas.
New York was essentially without two starters after RJ Barrett exited with a cut on a finger 96 seconds into the game, but trailed for less than a minute in regulation.
“I thought we were playing well,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Didn't close out the last 30 seconds of the game.”
After Miles McBride missed one of two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 25 points, hit a 3-pointer to get Dallas within 113-112.
McBride made both free throws the next time for a 115-112 lead with 7.7 seconds to go, then Grimes fouled Doncic before the Dallas superstar could attempt a potential tying 3-pointer.
Doncic made the first free throw before the miss with 4.2 seconds to go, then ended up with the ball after it bounced off several sets of hands.
“I know it was two seconds or something," Doncic said. “I just threw it up, hopefully it went in.”
The teams combined to miss the first nine shots of overtime, all the points coming on free throws before Doncic hit a jumper for a 122-117 lead with 1:08 remaining.
Doncic was 21 of 31 from the field and 16 of 22 from the line while topping Dirk Nowitzki's previous club record of 53 from Dec. 2, 2004. 
The 23-year-old's record night came two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of Nowitzki outside the arena. 
“I'm tired as hell,” Doncic said after playing all but 12 seconds of the second half and overtime, and 49 minutes overall. “I need a recovery beer.”
Dallas led for less than a minute of regulation but never trailed in overtime. Doncic put the Mavs ahead for good at 118-116 with two free throws midway through the extra period. 
Brunson missed his first game of the season in his first visit to Dallas, where the point guard spent his first four seasons before signing with the Knicks in free agency last summer.
The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova got to play against his former team in early December in New York, when the Mavericks rolled to a 121-100 victory.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Starting for Brunson, Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 15 assists and scored 13 points. ... Mitchell Robinson had a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Mavericks: F Dorian Finney-Smith will miss at least two more weeks with a right adductor strain that has sidelined him the past four games. ... Christian Wood had 19 points and nine rebounds. 
UP NEXT
Knicks: At San Antonio on Thursday as New York hits all three Texas cities. The Houston visit finishes the three-game trip Saturday. 
Mavericks: The Rockets at home Thursday in the first of two meetings in five days. The rematch in Houston is Monday. 
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic thought his improbable tying basket in the final second of regulation actually won the game.
No biggie. The Dallas superstar just set the table for a triple-double unlike the NBA has ever seen.
Doncic had a franchise-record 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, including the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">tying basket off his intentionally missed free throw</a> to force overtime, as the Mavericks rallied for a wild 126-121 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
After grabbing the loose ball on a rebound and shooting the 11-foot jumper in one motion, the 23-year-old danced around while waving his arms as the thinned-out crowd expecting a loss celebrated wildly.
It was 115-115 with 1.0 seconds remaining.
&ldquo;A lot of people asked me about this back in the locker room, and I said I thought we won it,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I went to the crowd like this. I thought we won the game, and then I see it&rsquo;s tied. I was like, &lsquo;Oof.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Dallas was down nine with 33 seconds left in regulation before getting even in a back-and-forth sequence capped by Doncic grazing the rim and hitting the backboard with the intentional miss.
The first 60-point game in Dallas history also included Doncic's career high in rebounds and was the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history. The young Slovenian had his seventh triple-double and the league's highest-scoring performance of the season.
The Mavericks moved three games over .500 with a fourth consecutive victory, both marks matching their season bests.
Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 33 points and Dallas native Julius Randle had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a fourth consecutive game coming off an eight-game winning streak, their longest in almost nine years.
Jalen Brunson missed the game with a hip injury, unable to play in what would have been his return to Dallas.
New York was essentially without two starters after RJ Barrett exited with a cut on a finger 96 seconds into the game, but trailed for less than a minute in regulation.
&ldquo;I thought we were playing well,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;Didn't close out the last 30 seconds of the game.&rdquo;
After Miles McBride missed one of two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 25 points, hit a 3-pointer to get Dallas within 113-112.
McBride made both free throws the next time for a 115-112 lead with 7.7 seconds to go, then Grimes fouled Doncic before the Dallas superstar could attempt a potential tying 3-pointer.
Doncic made the first free throw before the miss with 4.2 seconds to go, then ended up with the ball after it bounced off several sets of hands.
&ldquo;I know it was two seconds or something," Doncic said. &ldquo;I just threw it up, hopefully it went in.&rdquo;
The teams combined to miss the first nine shots of overtime, all the points coming on free throws before Doncic hit a jumper for a 122-117 lead with 1:08 remaining.
Doncic was 21 of 31 from the field and 16 of 22 from the line while topping Dirk Nowitzki's previous club record of 53 from Dec. 2, 2004.
The 23-year-old's record night came two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of Nowitzki outside the arena.
&ldquo;I'm tired as hell,&rdquo; Doncic said after playing all but 12 seconds of the second half and overtime, and 49 minutes overall. &ldquo;I need a recovery beer.&rdquo;
Dallas led for less than a minute of regulation but never trailed in overtime. Doncic put the Mavs ahead for good at 118-116 with two free throws midway through the extra period.
Brunson missed his first game of the season in his first visit to Dallas, where the point guard spent his first four seasons before signing with the Knicks in free agency last summer.
The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova got to play against his former team in early December in New York, when the Mavericks rolled to a 121-100 victory.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Starting for Brunson, Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 15 assists and scored 13 points. ... Mitchell Robinson had a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Mavericks: F Dorian Finney-Smith will miss at least two more weeks with a right adductor strain that has sidelined him the past four games. ... Christian Wood had 19 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At San Antonio on Thursday as New York hits all three Texas cities. The Houston visit finishes the three-game trip Saturday.
Mavericks: The Rockets at home Thursday in the first of two meetings in five days. The rematch in Houston is Monday.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic thought his improbable tying basket in the final second of regulation actually won the game.
No biggie. The Dallas superstar just set the table for a triple-double unlike the NBA has ever seen.
Doncic had a franchise-record 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, including the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607950883312001027?s=20&amp;t=dQDB5jAu1UNu9ps8OmTnLQ">tying basket off his intentionally missed free throw</a> to force overtime, as the Mavericks rallied for a wild 126-121 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
After grabbing the loose ball on a rebound and shooting the 11-foot jumper in one motion, the 23-year-old danced around while waving his arms as the thinned-out crowd expecting a loss celebrated wildly.
It was 115-115 with 1.0 seconds remaining.
&ldquo;A lot of people asked me about this back in the locker room, and I said I thought we won it,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I went to the crowd like this. I thought we won the game, and then I see it&rsquo;s tied. I was like, &lsquo;Oof.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Dallas was down nine with 33 seconds left in regulation before getting even in a back-and-forth sequence capped by Doncic grazing the rim and hitting the backboard with the intentional miss.
The first 60-point game in Dallas history also included Doncic's career high in rebounds and was the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history. The young Slovenian had his seventh triple-double and the league's highest-scoring performance of the season.
The Mavericks moved three games over .500 with a fourth consecutive victory, both marks matching their season bests.
Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 33 points and Dallas native Julius Randle had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a fourth consecutive game coming off an eight-game winning streak, their longest in almost nine years.
Jalen Brunson missed the game with a hip injury, unable to play in what would have been his return to Dallas.
New York was essentially without two starters after RJ Barrett exited with a cut on a finger 96 seconds into the game, but trailed for less than a minute in regulation.
&ldquo;I thought we were playing well,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;Didn't close out the last 30 seconds of the game.&rdquo;
After Miles McBride missed one of two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 25 points, hit a 3-pointer to get Dallas within 113-112.
McBride made both free throws the next time for a 115-112 lead with 7.7 seconds to go, then Grimes fouled Doncic before the Dallas superstar could attempt a potential tying 3-pointer.
Doncic made the first free throw before the miss with 4.2 seconds to go, then ended up with the ball after it bounced off several sets of hands.
&ldquo;I know it was two seconds or something," Doncic said. &ldquo;I just threw it up, hopefully it went in.&rdquo;
The teams combined to miss the first nine shots of overtime, all the points coming on free throws before Doncic hit a jumper for a 122-117 lead with 1:08 remaining.
Doncic was 21 of 31 from the field and 16 of 22 from the line while topping Dirk Nowitzki's previous club record of 53 from Dec. 2, 2004.
The 23-year-old's record night came two days after the Mavericks unveiled a statue of Nowitzki outside the arena.
&ldquo;I'm tired as hell,&rdquo; Doncic said after playing all but 12 seconds of the second half and overtime, and 49 minutes overall. &ldquo;I need a recovery beer.&rdquo;
Dallas led for less than a minute of regulation but never trailed in overtime. Doncic put the Mavs ahead for good at 118-116 with two free throws midway through the extra period.
Brunson missed his first game of the season in his first visit to Dallas, where the point guard spent his first four seasons before signing with the Knicks in free agency last summer.
The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova got to play against his former team in early December in New York, when the Mavericks rolled to a 121-100 victory.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Starting for Brunson, Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 15 assists and scored 13 points. ... Mitchell Robinson had a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Mavericks: F Dorian Finney-Smith will miss at least two more weeks with a right adductor strain that has sidelined him the past four games. ... Christian Wood had 19 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At San Antonio on Thursday as New York hits all three Texas cities. The Houston visit finishes the three-game trip Saturday.
Mavericks: The Rockets at home Thursday in the first of two meetings in five days. The rematch in Houston is Monday.

The first 60-point game in Dallas history also included Luka's career high in rebounds and was the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.

Doncic has 60-21-10, rallies Mavs to wild OT win over Knicks

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder closed a season-high, seven-game homestand by beating the San Antonio Spurs 130-114 on Tuesday night.
Mike Muscala, pressed into extended action due to an early injury to starting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts and scored 19 points. Tre Mann had 17 and rookie Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder never trailed after the 1:59 mark of the first quarter, but needed a 14-3 run to open the fourth quarter to secure the win. Oklahoma City hit 13 of 24 3-point attempts (54.2%).
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson started despite battling low back tightness and added 19.
Official Jenna Schroeder issued two quick technical fouls and ejected San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich with 11:13 left in the second quarter, after Popovich yelled “Do your job!” and other things at her. Assistant coach Brett Brown led the Spurs’ bench the rest of the game.
The technical fouls came in the middle of an 11-4 run by Oklahoma City that put the Thunder ahead 51-41 and they were up 70-60 at halftime. Oklahoma City was 9 of 14 on 3-point attempts in the half and Muscala came off the bench to score 14 points.
San Antonio pulled within 95-93 by the end of the third quarter, but Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with its big run.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Reserve forward Doug McDermott missed the game due to right knee soreness … Reserve guard Josh Richardson, who grew up in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma, scored nine points in 26 minutes. … The Spurs are 1-6 this season in the second game of back-to-backs. They have lost six straight in such games.
Thunder: Pokusevski went down less than two minutes into the game while trying to grab an offensive rebound and began clutching his left knee. He was helped off the court and did not return … During the first quarter, Josh Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player (at 20 years and 78 days old) to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James (19 years and 326 days old) … Oklahoma City went 4-3 during its homestand.
50K AND COUNTING
The Spurs say they’ve sold more than 50,000 tickets for their Jan. 13 game against Golden State, which will be played in their former home venue, the Alamodome. It will be the fourth time in NBA history a crowd has exceeded 50,000. A record 62,046 fans watched in 1998 when the Chicago Bulls visited the Atlanta Hawks.
Popovich said the Alamodome – where in 1999 San Antonio won the first of its five NBA titles – “has a special place” in the heart of Spurs’ fans.
“It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of event for the fans and they have really warmed up to the idea, so it’s pretty cool,” he said.
UP NEXT:
Spurs: Host the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Thunder: At the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder closed a season-high, seven-game homestand by beating the San Antonio Spurs 130-114 on Tuesday night.
Mike Muscala, pressed into extended action due to an early injury to starting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts and scored 19 points. Tre Mann had 17 and rookie Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder never trailed after the 1:59 mark of the first quarter, but needed a 14-3 run to open the fourth quarter to secure the win. Oklahoma City hit 13 of 24 3-point attempts (54.2%).
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson started despite battling low back tightness and added 19.
Official Jenna Schroeder issued two quick technical fouls and ejected San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich with 11:13 left in the second quarter, after Popovich yelled &ldquo;Do your job!&rdquo; and other things at her. Assistant coach Brett Brown led the Spurs&rsquo; bench the rest of the game.
The technical fouls came in the middle of an 11-4 run by Oklahoma City that put the Thunder ahead 51-41 and they were up 70-60 at halftime. Oklahoma City was 9 of 14 on 3-point attempts in the half and Muscala came off the bench to score 14 points.
San Antonio pulled within 95-93 by the end of the third quarter, but Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with its big run.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Reserve forward Doug McDermott missed the game due to right knee soreness &hellip; Reserve guard Josh Richardson, who grew up in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma, scored nine points in 26 minutes. &hellip; The Spurs are 1-6 this season in the second game of back-to-backs. They have lost six straight in such games.
Thunder: Pokusevski went down less than two minutes into the game while trying to grab an offensive rebound and began clutching his left knee. He was helped off the court and did not return &hellip; During the first quarter, Josh Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player (at 20 years and 78 days old) to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James (19 years and 326 days old) &hellip; Oklahoma City went 4-3 during its homestand.
50K AND COUNTING
The Spurs say they&rsquo;ve sold more than 50,000 tickets for their Jan. 13 game against Golden State, which will be played in their former home venue, the Alamodome. It will be the fourth time in NBA history a crowd has exceeded 50,000. A record 62,046 fans watched in 1998 when the Chicago Bulls visited the Atlanta Hawks.
Popovich said the Alamodome &ndash; where in 1999 San Antonio won the first of its five NBA titles &ndash; &ldquo;has a special place&rdquo; in the heart of Spurs&rsquo; fans.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of event for the fans and they have really warmed up to the idea, so it&rsquo;s pretty cool,&rdquo; he said.
UP NEXT:
Spurs: Host the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Thunder: At the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder closed a season-high, seven-game homestand by beating the San Antonio Spurs 130-114 on Tuesday night.
Mike Muscala, pressed into extended action due to an early injury to starting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts and scored 19 points. Tre Mann had 17 and rookie Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder never trailed after the 1:59 mark of the first quarter, but needed a 14-3 run to open the fourth quarter to secure the win. Oklahoma City hit 13 of 24 3-point attempts (54.2%).
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson started despite battling low back tightness and added 19.
Official Jenna Schroeder issued two quick technical fouls and ejected San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich with 11:13 left in the second quarter, after Popovich yelled &ldquo;Do your job!&rdquo; and other things at her. Assistant coach Brett Brown led the Spurs&rsquo; bench the rest of the game.
The technical fouls came in the middle of an 11-4 run by Oklahoma City that put the Thunder ahead 51-41 and they were up 70-60 at halftime. Oklahoma City was 9 of 14 on 3-point attempts in the half and Muscala came off the bench to score 14 points.
San Antonio pulled within 95-93 by the end of the third quarter, but Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with its big run.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Reserve forward Doug McDermott missed the game due to right knee soreness &hellip; Reserve guard Josh Richardson, who grew up in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma, scored nine points in 26 minutes. &hellip; The Spurs are 1-6 this season in the second game of back-to-backs. They have lost six straight in such games.
Thunder: Pokusevski went down less than two minutes into the game while trying to grab an offensive rebound and began clutching his left knee. He was helped off the court and did not return &hellip; During the first quarter, Josh Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player (at 20 years and 78 days old) to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James (19 years and 326 days old) &hellip; Oklahoma City went 4-3 during its homestand.
50K AND COUNTING
The Spurs say they&rsquo;ve sold more than 50,000 tickets for their Jan. 13 game against Golden State, which will be played in their former home venue, the Alamodome. It will be the fourth time in NBA history a crowd has exceeded 50,000. A record 62,046 fans watched in 1998 when the Chicago Bulls visited the Atlanta Hawks.
Popovich said the Alamodome &ndash; where in 1999 San Antonio won the first of its five NBA titles &ndash; &ldquo;has a special place&rdquo; in the heart of Spurs&rsquo; fans.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of event for the fans and they have really warmed up to the idea, so it&rsquo;s pretty cool,&rdquo; he said.
UP NEXT:
Spurs: Host the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Thunder: At the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder closed a season-high, seven-game homestand by beating the San Antonio Spurs 130-114 on Tuesday night.
Mike Muscala, pressed into extended action due to an early injury to starting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts and scored 19 points. Tre Mann had 17 and rookie Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder never trailed after the 1:59 mark of the first quarter, but needed a 14-3 run to open the fourth quarter to secure the win. Oklahoma City hit 13 of 24 3-point attempts (54.2%).
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs. Keldon Johnson started despite battling low back tightness and added 19.
Official Jenna Schroeder issued two quick technical fouls and ejected San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich with 11:13 left in the second quarter, after Popovich yelled &ldquo;Do your job!&rdquo; and other things at her. Assistant coach Brett Brown led the Spurs&rsquo; bench the rest of the game.
The technical fouls came in the middle of an 11-4 run by Oklahoma City that put the Thunder ahead 51-41 and they were up 70-60 at halftime. Oklahoma City was 9 of 14 on 3-point attempts in the half and Muscala came off the bench to score 14 points.
San Antonio pulled within 95-93 by the end of the third quarter, but Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with its big run.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Reserve forward Doug McDermott missed the game due to right knee soreness &hellip; Reserve guard Josh Richardson, who grew up in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma, scored nine points in 26 minutes. &hellip; The Spurs are 1-6 this season in the second game of back-to-backs. They have lost six straight in such games.
Thunder: Pokusevski went down less than two minutes into the game while trying to grab an offensive rebound and began clutching his left knee. He was helped off the court and did not return &hellip; During the first quarter, Josh Giddey became the second-youngest NBA player (at 20 years and 78 days old) to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, behind only LeBron James (19 years and 326 days old) &hellip; Oklahoma City went 4-3 during its homestand.
50K AND COUNTING
The Spurs say they&rsquo;ve sold more than 50,000 tickets for their Jan. 13 game against Golden State, which will be played in their former home venue, the Alamodome. It will be the fourth time in NBA history a crowd has exceeded 50,000. A record 62,046 fans watched in 1998 when the Chicago Bulls visited the Atlanta Hawks.
Popovich said the Alamodome &ndash; where in 1999 San Antonio won the first of its five NBA titles &ndash; &ldquo;has a special place&rdquo; in the heart of Spurs&rsquo; fans.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of event for the fans and they have really warmed up to the idea, so it&rsquo;s pretty cool,&rdquo; he said.
&nbsp;

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, and the Thunder closed a  seven-game homestand by beating the Spurs 130-114.

Thunder beat Spurs 130-114 to wrap up seven-game homestand

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-114 on Tuesday night.
Hield hit 11 of 16 shots, including 6 of 7 from deep. He leads the NBA with 132 3s this season.
The Pacers led by 10 entering the fourth quarter and doubled that margin in about six minutes. Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists. Myles Turner scored 18.
The Pacers enjoyed a 52-20 advantage in scoring by reserves. Bennedict Mathurin had 18 points, and fellow reserve Oshae Brissett finished with 16.
John Collins had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who were without injured starters De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. Trae Young had 22 points and 10 assists.
It was Atlanta's first game since a 130-105 victory over Detroit on Friday night. Indiana lost 113-93 at New Orleans on Monday night, leading to criticism from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and some players about not playing hard against a Pelicans roster missing six players.
After scoring a season-low 38 points in the first half at New Orleans, the Pacers came out firing against the Hawks in taking a 30-27 lead after the first quarter and building the advantage to as many as 15 points on their way to a 64-54 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Hunter (left ankle sprain) was ruled out before the game, and Capela (right calf strain) missed his fourth consecutive start. ... Young had his 17th double-double of the season to improve his career franchise record to 144.
Pacers: Indiana's 29 fast-break points were a season high.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Nets on Wednesday.
Pacers: Host Cavaliers on Thursday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-114 on Tuesday night.
Hield hit 11 of 16 shots, including 6 of 7 from deep. He leads the NBA with 132 3s this season.
The Pacers led by 10 entering the fourth quarter and doubled that margin in about six minutes. Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists. Myles Turner scored 18.
The Pacers enjoyed a 52-20 advantage in scoring by reserves. Bennedict Mathurin had 18 points, and fellow reserve Oshae Brissett finished with 16.
John Collins had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who were without injured starters De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. Trae Young had 22 points and 10 assists.
It was Atlanta's first game since a 130-105 victory over Detroit on Friday night. Indiana lost 113-93 at New Orleans on Monday night, leading to criticism from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and some players about not playing hard against a Pelicans roster missing six players.
After scoring a season-low 38 points in the first half at New Orleans, the Pacers came out firing against the Hawks in taking a 30-27 lead after the first quarter and building the advantage to as many as 15 points on their way to a 64-54 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Hunter (left ankle sprain) was ruled out before the game, and Capela (right calf strain) missed his fourth consecutive start. ... Young had his 17th double-double of the season to improve his career franchise record to 144.
Pacers: Indiana's 29 fast-break points were a season high.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Nets on Wednesday.
Pacers: Host Cavaliers on Thursday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-114 on Tuesday night.
Hield hit 11 of 16 shots, including 6 of 7 from deep. He leads the NBA with 132 3s this season.
The Pacers led by 10 entering the fourth quarter and doubled that margin in about six minutes. Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists. Myles Turner scored 18.
The Pacers enjoyed a 52-20 advantage in scoring by reserves. Bennedict Mathurin had 18 points, and fellow reserve Oshae Brissett finished with 16.
John Collins had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who were without injured starters De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. Trae Young had 22 points and 10 assists.
It was Atlanta's first game since a 130-105 victory over Detroit on Friday night. Indiana lost 113-93 at New Orleans on Monday night, leading to criticism from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and some players about not playing hard against a Pelicans roster missing six players.
After scoring a season-low 38 points in the first half at New Orleans, the Pacers came out firing against the Hawks in taking a 30-27 lead after the first quarter and building the advantage to as many as 15 points on their way to a 64-54 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Hunter (left ankle sprain) was ruled out before the game, and Capela (right calf strain) missed his fourth consecutive start. ... Young had his 17th double-double of the season to improve his career franchise record to 144.
Pacers: Indiana's 29 fast-break points were a season high.
&nbsp;

Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-114.

Hield makes 6 3-pointers as Pacers beat Hawks 129-114

TORONTO (AP) — Paul George scored 23 points, Ivica Zubac had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers won for the seventh time in nine games by beating the Toronto Raptors 124-113 on Tuesday night.
Norman Powell scored 22 points off the bench and Kawhi Leonard had 15 as the two members of Toronto’s 2019 championship team returned to Canada for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leonard played in Toronto for the first time since Dec. 11, 2019, when he received his championship ring. Fans cheered when he was introduced before tipoff.
Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Marcus Morris Sr. added 10 as all five Clippers starters scored in double digits.
Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, topping 25 for the career-high fifth straight game, and Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Raptors’ home losing streak reached four.
One game after making a season-high 19 3-pointers in a road win at Cleveland, Toronto shot 6 for 23 from distance against the Clippers, matching a season-low. Toronto went 1 for 9 from long range in the second half.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 points, O.G. Anunoby had 18 and Malachi Flynn 10. Each made two 3-pointers for the Raptors
Toronto’s Fred VanVleet left the court in the first quarter to stretch out his sore lower back, then checked out again early in the third. He finished with four points in 23 minutes and shot 2 for 6, going 0 for 3 from 3-point range.
Los Angeles trailed 29-27 after one but Powell scored 11 points in the second, two of them on a driving dunk, and George added 10 as the Clippers led 60-56 at the break.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half but the Clippers extended their lead to 18 in the third behind 11 points from Powell. Los Angeles took a 97-82 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Clippers: G John Wall (left knee) sat out on the second night of a back-to-back. … Leonard returned after sitting out Monday’s comeback win at Detroit.
Raptors: Barnes finished with eight assists. … Siakam had nine rebounds. … Began a stretch that sees them play nine of 10 at home. … Coach Nick Nurse said F Precious Achiuwa (sprained right ankle) is close to returning. Achiuwa missed his 22nd straight game Tuesday.
NORM!
Powell played north of the border for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, Toronto’s final home game before COVID-19 shut down the season. Fans gave Powell a loud ovation after the Raptors honored him with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At Boston on Thursday night.
Raptors: Host Memphis on Thursday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 23 points, Ivica Zubac had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers won for the seventh time in nine games by beating the Toronto Raptors 124-113 on Tuesday night.
Norman Powell scored 22 points off the bench and Kawhi Leonard had 15 as the two members of Toronto&rsquo;s 2019 championship team returned to Canada for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leonard played in Toronto for the first time since Dec. 11, 2019, when he received his championship ring. Fans cheered when he was introduced before tipoff.
Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Marcus Morris Sr. added 10 as all five Clippers starters scored in double digits.
Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, topping 25 for the career-high fifth straight game, and Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Raptors&rsquo; home losing streak reached four.
One game after making a season-high 19 3-pointers in a road win at Cleveland, Toronto shot 6 for 23 from distance against the Clippers, matching a season-low. Toronto went 1 for 9 from long range in the second half.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 points, O.G. Anunoby had 18 and Malachi Flynn 10. Each made two 3-pointers for the Raptors
Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet left the court in the first quarter to stretch out his sore lower back, then checked out again early in the third. He finished with four points in 23 minutes and shot 2 for 6, going 0 for 3 from 3-point range.
Los Angeles trailed 29-27 after one but Powell scored 11 points in the second, two of them on a driving dunk, and George added 10 as the Clippers led 60-56 at the break.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half but the Clippers extended their lead to 18 in the third behind 11 points from Powell. Los Angeles took a 97-82 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Clippers: G John Wall (left knee) sat out on the second night of a back-to-back. &hellip; Leonard returned after sitting out Monday&rsquo;s comeback win at Detroit.
Raptors: Barnes finished with eight assists. &hellip; Siakam had nine rebounds. &hellip; Began a stretch that sees them play nine of 10 at home. &hellip; Coach Nick Nurse said F Precious Achiuwa (sprained right ankle) is close to returning. Achiuwa missed his 22nd straight game Tuesday.
NORM!
Powell played north of the border for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, Toronto&rsquo;s final home game before COVID-19 shut down the season. Fans gave Powell a loud ovation after the Raptors honored him with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At Boston on Thursday night.
Raptors: Host Memphis on Thursday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 23 points, Ivica Zubac had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers won for the seventh time in nine games by beating the Toronto Raptors 124-113 on Tuesday night.
Norman Powell scored 22 points off the bench and Kawhi Leonard had 15 as the two members of Toronto&rsquo;s 2019 championship team returned to Canada for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leonard played in Toronto for the first time since Dec. 11, 2019, when he received his championship ring. Fans cheered when he was introduced before tipoff.
Reggie Jackson scored 20 points and Marcus Morris Sr. added 10 as all five Clippers starters scored in double digits.
Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, topping 25 for the career-high fifth straight game, and Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Raptors&rsquo; home losing streak reached four.
One game after making a season-high 19 3-pointers in a road win at Cleveland, Toronto shot 6 for 23 from distance against the Clippers, matching a season-low. Toronto went 1 for 9 from long range in the second half.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 points, O.G. Anunoby had 18 and Malachi Flynn 10. Each made two 3-pointers for the Raptors
Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet left the court in the first quarter to stretch out his sore lower back, then checked out again early in the third. He finished with four points in 23 minutes and shot 2 for 6, going 0 for 3 from 3-point range.
Los Angeles trailed 29-27 after one but Powell scored 11 points in the second, two of them on a driving dunk, and George added 10 as the Clippers led 60-56 at the break.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half but the Clippers extended their lead to 18 in the third behind 11 points from Powell. Los Angeles took a 97-82 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Clippers: G John Wall (left knee) sat out on the second night of a back-to-back. &hellip; Leonard returned after sitting out Monday&rsquo;s comeback win at Detroit.
Raptors: Barnes finished with eight assists. &hellip; Siakam had nine rebounds. &hellip; Began a stretch that sees them play nine of 10 at home. &hellip; Coach Nick Nurse said F Precious Achiuwa (sprained right ankle) is close to returning. Achiuwa missed his 22nd straight game Tuesday.
NORM!
Powell played north of the border for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, Toronto&rsquo;s final home game before COVID-19 shut down the season. Fans gave Powell a loud ovation after the Raptors honored him with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout.
&nbsp;

Paul George scored 23 points, and the Clippers won for the seventh time in nine games by beating the Raptors 124-113.

George scores 23, Clippers beat Raptors for 7th win in 9

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 39 points in the third quarter, pouring it on after he was knocked to the parquet by a flagrant foul that sparked the Boston Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. 
Jayson Tatum added 38 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points as Boston won its third game in a row. 
Jalen Green scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Chicago on Monday. 
Boston led 65-62 midway through the third quarter when Brown got the ball to the left of the basket and Porter came across the top of him with an excessively emphatic shot block that sent the ball flying into Brown’s face. The Celtics All-Star went to the ground, and Porter apologetically came over to check on him.
The play was ruled a flagrant foul; Brown hit both free throws to make it 67-62. The Rockets never got closer than five points after that, with Boston extending the lead to 12 points near the end of the third, 17 early in the fourth.
INTERIM INTERIM
Interim Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable. The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff. 
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior. 
TIP-INS
The Celtics observed a moment of silence for Paul Silas, a former Boston player and the father of Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who died this month at the age of 79. … The replay center was busy at the end of the third quarter, reviewing both the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Green and the putback by Robert Williams that preceded it. Williams dunked it as the shot clock expired; it was ruled no basket but overturned. That left the score at the end of three 92-81, Boston.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Play in Dallas on Thursday night to complete a three-game, four-night road trip.
Celtics: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. 
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 39 points in the third quarter, pouring it on after he was knocked to the parquet by a flagrant foul that sparked the Boston Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
Jayson Tatum added 38 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points as Boston won its third game in a row.
Jalen Green scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Chicago on Monday.
Boston led 65-62 midway through the third quarter when Brown got the ball to the left of the basket and Porter came across the top of him with an excessively emphatic shot block that sent the ball flying into Brown&rsquo;s face. The Celtics All-Star went to the ground, and Porter apologetically came over to check on him.
The play was ruled a flagrant foul; Brown hit both free throws to make it 67-62. The Rockets never got closer than five points after that, with Boston extending the lead to 12 points near the end of the third, 17 early in the fourth.
INTERIM INTERIM
Interim Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable. The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff.
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior.
TIP-INS
The Celtics observed a moment of silence for Paul Silas, a former Boston player and the father of Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who died this month at the age of 79. &hellip; The replay center was busy at the end of the third quarter, reviewing both the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Green and the putback by Robert Williams that preceded it. Williams dunked it as the shot clock expired; it was ruled no basket but overturned. That left the score at the end of three 92-81, Boston.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Play in Dallas on Thursday night to complete a three-game, four-night road trip.
Celtics: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 39 points in the third quarter, pouring it on after he was knocked to the parquet by a flagrant foul that sparked the Boston Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
Jayson Tatum added 38 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points as Boston won its third game in a row.
Jalen Green scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Chicago on Monday.
Boston led 65-62 midway through the third quarter when Brown got the ball to the left of the basket and Porter came across the top of him with an excessively emphatic shot block that sent the ball flying into Brown&rsquo;s face. The Celtics All-Star went to the ground, and Porter apologetically came over to check on him.
The play was ruled a flagrant foul; Brown hit both free throws to make it 67-62. The Rockets never got closer than five points after that, with Boston extending the lead to 12 points near the end of the third, 17 early in the fourth.
INTERIM INTERIM
Interim Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable. The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff.
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior.
TIP-INS
The Celtics observed a moment of silence for Paul Silas, a former Boston player and the father of Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who died this month at the age of 79. &hellip; The replay center was busy at the end of the third quarter, reviewing both the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Green and the putback by Robert Williams that preceded it. Williams dunked it as the shot clock expired; it was ruled no basket but overturned. That left the score at the end of three 92-81, Boston.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Play in Dallas on Thursday night to complete a three-game, four-night road trip.
Celtics: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 39 points in the third quarter, pouring it on after he was knocked to the parquet by a flagrant foul that sparked the Boston Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
Jayson Tatum added 38 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points as Boston won its third game in a row.
Jalen Green scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Chicago on Monday.
Boston led 65-62 midway through the third quarter when Brown got the ball to the left of the basket and Porter came across the top of him with an excessively emphatic shot block that sent the ball flying into Brown&rsquo;s face. The Celtics All-Star went to the ground, and Porter apologetically came over to check on him.
The play was ruled a flagrant foul; Brown hit both free throws to make it 67-62. The Rockets never got closer than five points after that, with Boston extending the lead to 12 points near the end of the third, 17 early in the fourth.
INTERIM INTERIM
Interim Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable. The team made the announcement about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff.
Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior.
TIP-INS
The Celtics observed a moment of silence for Paul Silas, a former Boston player and the father of Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who died this month at the age of 79. &hellip; The replay center was busy at the end of the third quarter, reviewing both the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Green and the putback by Robert Williams that preceded it. Williams dunked it as the shot clock expired; it was ruled no basket but overturned. That left the score at the end of three 92-81, Boston.
&nbsp;

Jaylen Brown scored 39 points, Jayson Tatum added 38, and the Boston Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets.