CHICAGO (AP) — Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started slowly, tussling early with the Chicago Bulls.
But the defending NBA champions came on and prevailed 123-98 on Saturday night, with Tatum's 43-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist effort earning the five-time All-Star comparisons to former Celtics great and Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
Tatum's third career triple-double was the first for a Celtics player that included 40 or more points since Bird scored 49 points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists against Portland in a 152-148 double-overtime win on March 15, 1992, according to the team.
Tatum emphasized winning is what matters most, but a little icing on the cake isn't bad.
“Larry Bird is probably the best player to ever wear this uniform," Tatum said. "So any time you accomplish something in the same sentence as him, it's something special, even if you never reach that pinnacle.”
Bird finished with 59 triple-doubles in his 13 seasons with Boston. According to the Celtics, Tatum's was the first for the team that included 40 or more points and 15 or more rebounds. Tatum's effort also counted as his sixth straight double-double and 14th this season.
Tatum got rolling in the second quarter, then scored 18 points in the third as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth. He finished 16 for 24 from the floor, hitting 9 of 15 3-point attempts. Two free throws rounded out his scoring line.
“As a basketball player, you feel the rhythm, the ball is finding you,” Tatum said. "You're just being active all over the place and probably in that third quarter.
“Joe (coach Mazzulla) just challenges me every night, just to amplify my teammates and figure out ways to dominate all over the court. Obviously tonight, I'm scoring a lot and getting rebounds. It just looks different on a given night.”
The game was tied at 42 midway through the second quarter, then the Celtics and Tatum found offensive rhythm. Boston had a 61-54 lead at the half using an 8-0 run to open a 12-point lead at one point. Tatum and the Celtics took charge in the third after the Bulls had closed to within five points.
“He went outside what we normally do and that's a testament to him,” Mazzulla said. “Just his shot-making, his decision-making, his ability to rebound. I thought he kind of controlled the entire game.”
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Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum shoots as Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James had 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 103-99 to sweep a two-game set on Saturday.
Trailing 101-99 with 12 seconds left, the Kings had a chance to tie after Anthony Davis missed two free throws but squandered the opportunity after they couldn’t secure the rebound. Austin Reaves was fouled and made both free throws to put the game away.
Reaves finished with 16 points, and Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers completed the sweep after beating the Kings 113-100 on Thursday.
De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 12 points for the Kings.
Davis earned his 642nd block and passed Kobe Bryant for the fifth most in franchise history.
MAGIC 121, HEAT 114
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cole Anthony scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half and Orlando tied their largest comeback in franchise history to beat Miami after trailing by 25 points.
The Magic also trailed by 22 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Heat 37-8. Their 25-point comeback ties a mark set on Nov. 8, 1989 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points and Goga Bitadze added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who lost center Mo Wagner to a knee injury in the first quarter and center Wendell Carter Jr. to an ejection before halftime.
Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier led Miami with 23 points each, and Tyler Herro added 22.
GRIZZLIES 128, HAWKS 112
ATLANTA (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Memphis, without star player Ja Morant, beat skidding Atlanta.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 22 points and nine assists. Morant, who injured his back in the Grizzlies’ Dec. 19 win over Golden State, was ruled out with low back soreness before Saturday night’s game.
De’Andre Hunter led Atlanta with 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks were also without their own star in Trae Young, who was ruled out before the game with a right heel contusion. After winning its first three games in December, Atlanta has now lost four of its last five games.
JAZZ 105, NETS 94
NEW YORK (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points, Collin Sexton and Svi Mykhailiuk each had 18 points, and Utah beat Brooklyn.
The Jazz, who at 7-20 have one of the worst records in the NBA, have now won consecutive games for the first time this season. They beat the Pistons 126-119 on Thursday.
Both victories have come on the road, where they improved to 5-20.
John Collins finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Jordan Clarkson chipped in 16 points for a struggling Utah team that had lost 12 of its previous 15 games.
Cam Johnson had 18 points and Ben Simmons added 15 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who have lost seven of their last nine.
CAVALIERS 126, 76ERS 99
CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, sending NBA-leading Cleveland to a victory over Philadelphia.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and Georges Niang added 13 points off the bench for Cleveland, which is 25-4 for the top record in the league.
The Cavaliers tied their season high with 22 3-pointers -- Garland made 6 of 7 -- and improved to an NBA-best 16-1 at home.
Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his 27 points in the third quarter and Paul George had 11 points for Philadelphia. Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points, but the 76ers were outscored by 34 in his 27 minutes.
CELTICS 123, BULLS 98
CHICAGO (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double and Boston beat Chicago.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 to help the Celtics rebound from a 117-108 loss to the Bulls in Boston on Thursday night.
Tatum, the five-time All-Star, scored 18 points in the third quarter as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended. Zach LaVine, Coby White and Patrick Williams had 14 points each.
BUCKS 112, WIZARDS 101
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and scored a season-high 34 points, leading Milwaukee to a victory over Washington.
Khris Middleton had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Portis finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Antetokounmpo (back spasms) missed his third game of the season and the Bucks also played again without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) after winning the NBA Cup earlier this week.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said Lillard could play Monday against Chicago.
Rookie Ryan Rollins started at point guard in Lillard’s absence and contributed 14 points in 31 minutes. Center Brook Lopez also had 14 and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points and seven rebounds.
WARRIORS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 13
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and 31 for the night as Golden State beat Minnesota.
Trayce Jackson-Davis had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Brandin Podziemski had 12 and Curry — who made seven 3-pointers — added 10 assists for the Warriors.
Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo led Minnesota with 19 points apiece. Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 12 boards for Minnesota.
Curry hit three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in a 90-second span that helped the Warriors pull away after blowing a 21-point first-half lead.
KNICKS 104, PELICANS 93
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 29 of his season-high 39 points in the second half to power New York to a victory over New Orleans.
All-NBA defensive player Herb Jones pressured Brunson in the first half, picking him up at three-quarters court. That pressure led to the Knicks’ 35.6% shooting in the first half, when New Orleans held a 49-45 lead.
But Brunson caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 16 points, including 13 straight, in a 22-6 run that erased a 65-52 deficit and gave New York a 74-71 lead. Brunson scored nine of the Knicks’ first 13 points of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 95-81.
New Orleans, which lost for the 15th time in its last 16 games, was paced by Trey Murphy III with 26 points. Dejounte Murray added 14 points for New Orleans.
The Knicks also got 18 points from Mikal Bridges and 16 from OG Anunoby.
MAVERICKS 113, CLIPPERS 97
DALLAS (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored 20 points off the bench, 14 in the fourth quarter, leading eight Mavericks in double figures as Dallas beat Los Angeles despite missing leading scorer Luka Doncic.
Doncic, fifth in the NBA with 28.9 points per game, missed his second consecutive game with a left heel contusion.
Klay Thompson scored 16 points, and Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 apiece.
Norman Powell scored 28 points for the Clippers, who split a two-game series at Dallas. James Harden and Kevin Porter Jr. each added 19.
The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 31-18 in the second period to lead 54-40 at halftime, outshooting them 47.8% to 22.2%.
SPURS 114, TRAIL BLAZERS 94
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points and tied a career high with 10 blocks as San Antonio rolled to a victory against Portland.
Wembanyama added seven rebounds while sitting out the final 8 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter with San Antonio headed to its largest margin of victory this season.
Wembanyama is the first player with four 3-pointers and 10 blocks in a game in NBA history and the first player under 21 with multiple games with double-figure blocks since the league began keeping track of blocks in 1974.
Charles Bassey added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Devin Vassell had 11 points for the Spurs, who have won four straight against the Trail Blazers.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 25 points and Anfernee Simons had 18 points for Portland.
PISTONS 133, SUNS 125
PHOENIX (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 28 points and had 13 assists, Jalen Duren added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Detroit beat Phoenix.
The Pistons dominated the majority of the game and didn’t trail after the first few minutes. The Suns cut their deficit to 122-119 with 2:26 left on a pair of free throws by Kevin Durant, but Malik Beasley responded with a corner 3 to thwart the comeback attempt.
Durant scored a season-high 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting and made all 11 of his free throws. Bradley Beal added 26, but the Suns couldn’t overcome 19 turnovers.
Seven Detroit players scored in double figures. Jaden Ivey had 20, Beasley added 18 and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16.
Detroit jumped out to a 41-26 lead by the end of the first quarter, scoring 16 points off of seven Phoenix turnovers. The Suns cut the margin to 64-59 by halftime.
Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) attempts a shot over Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
