Charlotte, United States / 15.01.2023 00:21:52
the eave Jayson Tatum scored 33 points when the Boston Celtics overcame a double-digit deficit to extend their lead atop the NBA Eastern Conference on Saturday with a 122-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Celtics entered the game heavily favored for record their sixth straight win against a Hornets team that has only won 11 games.
But Boston was startled by a confident first-half performance by Charlotte, who at one point took a 16-point lead at 58-42 halfway through the second quarter.
Boston cut the gap to just four points at halftime, with Charlotte still leading 66-62.
Later, the Celtics unleashed in a devastating flurry of scoring after the break.
The Celtics outscored Charlotte 33-19 in the third quarter to turn the game around and kept a comfortable mattress throughout the fourth quarter.
Malcolm Brogdon had 30 points for Bostonwhile Al Horford added 16 and Marcus Smart 13.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets’ challenge with 31 points.
Grizzlies post 9th win in a row
In other games, the Memphis Grizzlies achieved their ninth victory in a row with a 130-112 blowout of the Indiana Pacers.
Victory leaves Memphis tied with Denver for the top of the Western Conference with both teams posting 29-13.
Desmond Bane hit five 3-pointers on a 25-point drivewhile Ja Morant finished with 23 points and 10 assists in a resounding victory for Memphis.
Miami surprises Milwaukee
In the afternoon, in Miami, the base Gabe Vincent scored 27 points and stole five balls for the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 111-95who played without their star Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Miami extended its winning streak to three games after dominating Milwaukee from almost the start to secure a win that saw Erik Spoelstra’s team improve to 24-20 in the Eastern Conference standings.
Saturday results in the NBA:
- Miami a Milwaukee 111-95
- Boston a Charlotte 122-106
- Memphis a Indiana 130-112
- Atlanta a Toronto 114-103
- Minnesota at Cleveland 110-102
- Philadelphia and Utah 118-117
- Portland a Dallas 136-119