Jaylen Brown dominated with 31 points and 11 rebounds as the Boston Celtics fought out a 108-96 victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA Cup on Friday. The victory improved the season record of the Celtics to 13-8 and kept them in contention in Eastern Conference Group C, where they sit second at 2-1 behind the Atlanta Hawks.
Coming off a White House visit to celebrate last season’s championship, the Celtics appeared sluggish early, trailing by two at halftime after being down by as much as 11 points. However, Brown’s clutch shooting in the fourth quarter, including a pivotal turnaround jumper to extend the lead to 99-92, sealed the win.
Despite the outcome, Boston’s effort was far from crisp. Jayson Tatum scored just 16 points and went 0-for-10 beyond the arc as the Celtics shot 42.4% from the field and a miserable 23.9% from three-point range. Coach Joe Mazzulla, who collected his own technical foul, lauded the incident for firing up his team and the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, playing without an injured Luka Doncic, held off a furious Denver Nuggets rally for a 123-120 victory. Naji Marshall led the Mavs off the bench with 26 points while P.J. Washington chipped in with 22. Denver’s Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 33 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Dallas built a 24-point lead early in the third but saw it evaporate as Denver clawed back to tie the game late. And, after an apparent team meltdown, the win came in dramatic fashion as Jamal Murray missed a free throw he meant to make, sealing the game on two clutch free throws from P.J. Washington.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers halted a five-game losing streak as they took care of the Brooklyn Nets, 113-98. Rookie Jared McCain scored 30 points with Tyrese Maxey adding 26.
The Golden State Warriors continued their winning streak as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 112-108, to advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his second triple-double in four games and the Milwaukee Bucks trounced the visiting Indiana Pacers 129-117 on Sunday with 37 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
