UNDATED (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 26 points with a career-high 16 rebounds, shaking off a hard fourth-quarter fall to lead the Boston Celtics to a 88-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Tatum scored 11 points in the fourth. Robert Williams III blocked Georges Niang’s shot at the buzzer to give the Celtics the victory.
It was their first game this season against their longtime Eastern Conference rivals and former coach Doc Rivers.
Joel Embiid had 18 rebounds for Philadelphia, adding 13 points on 3 for 17 shooting. Seth Curry had 17 points and Shake Milton came off the bench to score 16.
Elsewhere around the NBA:
— De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and Terence Davis added 23 in the Sacramento Kings’ 124-115 victory over the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Richaun Holmes had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Kings snapped a two-game skid and improved to 3-3 under interim coach Alvin Gentry. Paul George sat out to rest for the Clippers, while Luke Kennard and Terance Mann both scored 19 points and Ivica Zubac added 17 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Davion Mitchell scored 20 points for Sacramento, while Tyrese Haliburton had 12 points and 11 assists.
— Montrezl Harrell scored 27 points and Bradley Beal added 19 to lift the Washington Wizards to a 115-107 victory over Minnesota. Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns left the game with 2:14 remaining after injuring himself on a dunk. Towns scored only two of his 34 points in the final period — and that was when he got free along the baseline for a dunk. After slamming the ball through, his momentum caused his body to fall horizontally and he appeared to land on his tailbone. Minnesota lost for just the second time in nine games.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo scored on a driving layup with two seconds left to give Milwaukee a 127-125 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. It was the Bucks’ eighth consecutive victory. Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 points. LaMelo Ball had a career-high 36 points for the Hornets, followed by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 25 and Miles Bridges with 22 points. Ball made a fadeaway 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left to pull the Hornets even at 125. After a timeout, Jru Holliday fed Antetokounmpo near the top of the lane for the layup.
— Luka Doncic scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the first quarter and dished out 14 assists in 27 minutes to power the Dallas Mavericks to a 139-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. Doncic went 7 of 8 from the floor in the Mavericks’ 41-point first quarter — their highest-scoring period of the season. Dallas set a franchise record by shooting 57 of 83 from the floor or 68.7%, beating the previous high of 67.7% from March 24, 1983.
— Cole Anthony scored 24 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and the Orlando Magic rallied from an early 16-point deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets 108-103 ending their seven-game losing streak. The Magic took their first lead of the night at 106-103 when rookie Franz Wagner drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 1:45 to play. The Magic’s rally ruined the return of Nuggets’ forward Aaron Gordon, who played at the Amway Center for the first time since Orlando traded him to Denver on March 28. Gordon scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three thunderous dunks.
— Jae’Sean Tate scored a career-high 32 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots, sparking a fourth-quarter rally to lead the short-handed Houston Rockets to a 114-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets won their fourth straight and the Thunder dropped their seventh in a row. After Tate’s bucket gave the Rockets a 111-108 lead with 26 seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his potential game-tying 3-pointer rim out.
— Trae Young made two crucial free throws in the final seconds of the game to help the Atlanta Hawks fend off the Indiana Pacers 114-111 on Wednesday night. Pacers rookie Chris Duarte came up with a steal late in the game, but was unable to convert a contested layup. Young was fouled and made the final two of his 33 points.
— Kevin Love scored 22 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a 20-game losing streak in Miami, beating the Heat 111-85 on Wednesday night. Jarrett Allen added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Darius Garland finished with 16 points for the Cavaliers, who had not won on the Heat’s home court since Jan. 25, 2010. The Cavaliers also got a double-double from Evan Mobley with his 17-point, 11-rebound outing. Tyler Herro scored 21 points for Miami.
