UNDATED (AP) — The Denver Nuggets appeared on their way to a ninth straight victory as they took a 79-65 lead on a 3-pointer by Facundo Campazzo late in the third quarter. But the Boston Celtics immediately went on a 31-3 run and allowed just five more points after that in a 105-87 win at Denver.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics’ attack after both were questionable to play. Tatum finished with 28 points and Brown had 20 as Boston won for the fifth time in six games to stay one game behind Atlanta for fourth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets with 20 points despite missing 11 of 12 from beyond the arc. Nikola Jokichad 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Denver’s first loss since acquiring Aaron Gordon just before the trade deadline.
Checking out the rest of Sunday’s NBA schedule:
— Marcus Morris Sr. scored 33 points to lead seven Clippers in double figures in a 131-124 win over the Pistons. Paul George registered 32 points and nine assists, giving him three straight 30-point games despite dealing with a nagging toe injury. Los Angeles picked up its fifth straight win by climbing out of a 93-81 hole against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
— Khris Middleton scored 21 points and the Bucks ended a three-game losing streak by topping the Magic, 124-87. Middleton shot 8 of 13 from the field and added eight rebounds and five assists to help the Bucks lead wire to wire. Bobby Portis added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds off the bench.
— Bam Adebayo dropped in 22 points and Jimmy Butler added 20 to lead the Heat to a 107—98 victory over the Trail Blazers. Miami led by 20 early in the fourth quarter en route to its sixth win in seven games. CJ McCollum and Norman Powell each finished with 17 points for the Blazers, who were hurt by 17 turnovers.
— DeMar DeRozan drained the tiebreaking jumper with 0.5 seconds left, giving him 27 of his 33 points in the second half and lifting the Spurs to a 119-117 victory over the Mavericks. Dejounte Murray scored 25 points as San Antonio stopped a season-worst five-game losing streak and avoided the first season sweep by their Texas rival. Luka Doncic scored 29 points, including a tying basket in the final minute of a game that had 10 deadlocks and 12 lead changes.
— The Hawks battled back from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit to beat the Hornets, 105-101. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 32 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers to help Atlanta win without Trae Young, who was out with a left calf injury. Clint Capela added 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Hawks’ sixth win in seven games.
— Julius Randle scored 26 points and the Knicks pulled out a 102-96 win over the Raptors after blowing an 18-point lead. RJ Barrett added 19 as the Knicks won their second straight to get back to .500 at 27-27. Nerlens Noel finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for New York.
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 12 rebounds, while D’Angelo Russell also contributed 27 points in the Timberwolves; 121-117 downing of the Bulls. Ricky Rubio connected on five of his six 3-point attempts and scored 17 points. Zach LaVine scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half as Chicago rallied before losing for the sixth time in nine games since the trade deadline.
— Caris LeVert scored 34 points and two other Pacers just missed triple-doubles in a 132-125 victory over Memphis. Malcolm Brogdon had 29 points, matched his season-high with 11 assists and had nine rebounds. Domantas Sabonis finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, part of the Pacers grabbing a season-high 53 rebounds en route to their third straight victory.
— Zion Williamson provided 38 points and Brandon Ingram had 27 with eight assists in rallying the Pelicans to a 116-109 victory over the injury-plagued Cavaliers. Williamson scored 25 points in the first half and finished 16 of 22 from the field. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as New Orleans pulled within one game of the final play-in tournament spot in the West.
