UNDATED (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Jaylen Brown had 19 in his return from missing eight games with an injury and the Boston Celtics coasted by Houston 108-90, sending the Rockets to their 15th straight loss on Monday night. Dennis Schroder added 18 points for Boston, which has won three straight and eight of 11. Al Horford had 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was Tatum’s fourth straight game with 30 or more points.
In other Monday NBA action:
— Tyrese Maxey had 24 points and the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers beat Sacramento 102-94, spoiling Alvin Gentry’s debut as interim Kings coach. Shake Milton scored 16 points and Matisse Thybulle added 15, helping the Sixers to their second win in eight games. Andre Drummond had nine points and 23 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox had 23 points and Buddy Hield scored 21 for the Kings. Gentry was promoted to interim coach after the Kings fired Luke Walton on Sunday.
— Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and the Milwaukee Bucks grabbed their biggest halftime lead in franchise history on their way to a 123-92 blowout of the Orlando Magic on Monday. The Bucks’ 77-36 lead at the break also was Orlando’s biggest halftime deficit ever. Milwaukee’s previous largest halftime lead was a 78-40 advantage over Detroit on Dec. 26, 1978. The Bucks won that game 143-84. Milwaukee eventually built the margin to 51 and became the first team to lead a game by at least 50 points this season.
— Kevin Durant returned to Brooklyn’s lineup and scored 27 points, James Harden added 14 points and a season-high 14 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112. LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who won for the sixth time in seven games.
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves extended their winning streak to four with a 110-96 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half. Jarred Vanderbilt matched his season high with 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Willy Hernangomez led New Orleans with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
— Terry Rozier scored a season-high 32 points and hit his eighth three-pointer of the game with 12.9 seconds left as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards 109-103 on Monday night. LaMelo Ball had 28 points and 13 rebounds to help Charlotte win its last six of seven.
— Trae Young scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half, Clint Capela finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks closed a perfect five-game homestand with a 113-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Thunder rookie Josh Giddey had with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Luguentz Dort added 15 points.
— Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 16 more, and the Indiana Pacers routed the Chicago Bulls 109-77 on Monday night. Myles Turner also scored 12 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in Indiana’s second straight win. DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 18 points, while Zach LaVine scored 17.
— Ja Morant scored 32 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies and Jaren Jackson Jr. knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with six seconds left as the Grizzlies defeated the Utah Jazz 119-118 on Monday night. The Grizzlies are now 9-8 on the season, while the Jazz moved to 11-6.
LeBron suspended 1 game, Stewart 2 games for altercation
UNDATED (AP) — LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended for one game and Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart was suspended two games for their roles in an ugly incident during Sunday’s Lakers-Pistons game.
The NBA announced the suspensions Monday, and both will affect games today. James will not play when the Lakers visit Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks. Stewart will miss the Pistons’ home game against Miami today and their game at Milwaukee on Wednesday. It is the first suspension in the 19-year career of James, who has won four NBA titles with three teams.
The league says Stewart was disciplined for “escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing … James in an unsportsmanlike manner.” It says James merited the suspension “for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation.”
