BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 24 points in three quarters and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-108 on Friday night for their eighth straight victory.
Irving also had five assists, five rebounds and four steals. He scored 12 points in the first quarter and helped Boston race to a 23-5 lead. The Celtics topped 100 points with 2 minutes left in the third.
Jayson Tatum had 22 points for Boston, Marcus Morris added 20, Gordon Hayward had 19 points and five assists, Daniel Theis scored 18 points and rookie Robert Williams III blocked five shots.
Kevin Huerter led Atlanta with 19 points, and John Collins had 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawks, losers of six of seven, had nine of their 24 turnovers in the first quarter.
BUCKS 114, CAVALIERS 102
CLEVELAND (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo matched his career high with 44 points and Milwaukee beat Cleveland despite missing two starters.
Antetokounmpo's big night came after being held to a season-low 12 points Wednesday night in a loss to Indiana. He was 14 of 19 from the field, made 16 of 21 foul shots, and had 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Khris Middleton, the Bucks' second leading scorer, was out with a sprained right finger. Malcolm Brogdon, fourth on the team in scoring, didn't play because of a sore left hamstring.
Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Cleveland.
PACERS 113, 76ERS 101
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thaddeus Young had 26 points and 10 rebounds against his former team, and the Indiana Pacers overcame Joel Embiid's 40-point night to beat Philadelphia.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points, and the Pacers won their sixth straight to pass the Sixers in the standings. Victor Oladipo played in his second consecutive game after missing 11 in a row with a knee injury and had 14 points and nine assists.
Embiid also had 21 rebounds, becoming the first Sixers player with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds since Charles Barkley on Dec. 7, 1990. Embiid is the first player in the NBA this season with a 40-point, 20-rebound game.
KNICKS 126, HORNETS 124, OT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Emmanuel Mudiay had 34 points and eight assists and short-handed New York overcame a 21-point deficit to snap a five-game skid.
Mudiay scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a fadeaway jumper with 27.2 seconds left to tie it at 113. Charlotte's Kemba Walker missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 8.2 seconds left and the game went to overtime.
Charlotte got 21 points each from Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller, and Marvin Williams added 20. Walker finished with 16 points and 10 assists.
NETS 125, WIZARDS 118
NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension, and Brooklyn beat Washington for its season-best fourth straight victory.
Joe Harris added 19 points for the Nets. They put up a season-high 70 points in the first half but had a 16-point lead trimmed to four in the fourth quarter.
Bradley Beal had 31 points and nine assists for the Wizards.
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