Brown’s career-best 50 points lift Celtics
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter in a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
Brown scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, then opened OT with his fifth 3-pointer. Brown, whose previous career high was 46 against the Knicks on Oct. 20, also had 11 rebounds as the Celtics avoided losing for the fourth time in five games. He was 19 of 29 from the field.
Terrence Ross scored 33 points for the Magic.
SUNS 133, HORNETS 99
Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and short-handed Phoenix hammered host Charlotte.
Chris Paul had 16 assists to help the Suns improve to 28-8 — a half-game behind Golden State for the NBA lead — after they lost three of their previous four.
MAVERICKS 95 THUNDER 86
Luka Doncic had 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his return from a 10-game absence, Marquese Criss scored a season-high 15 points and visiting Dallas beat Oklahoma City.
Doncic played with a long brace on his left knee and saw just over 31 minutes in his first game in 23 days.
RAPTORS 120, KNICKS 105
Fred VanVleet scored 19 of his season-high 35 points in the third quarter, Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Toronto extended its home winning streak against New York to 11 games. Evan Fournier led the depleted Knicks with 20 points. RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin each had 19.
The Raptors played before a mostly empty arena for the second straight game after Ontario’s provincial government reduced capacity limits to a maximum of 1,000 people in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19. No tickets were sold, and only friends and family were allowed entry.
CAVALIERS 108 PACERS 104
Rookie Evan Mobley had 24 points and nine rebounds, Kevin Love scored 20 points and host Cleveland handled Indiana to snap a three-game losing streak.
Domantas Sabonis had 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Pacers. Indiana has dropped four straight overall and hasn’t won on the road since Nov. 22 in Chicago.
KINGS 115, HEAT 113
De’Aaron Fox scored 11 of his 24 points over the final six minutes, including two free throws with 6.2 seconds left, and host Sacramento ended Miami’s five-game winning streak.
Buddy Hield added 26 points, and Damian Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
LAKERS 108 TIMBERWOLVES 103
LeBron James had a game-high 26 points as host Los Angeles bounced back from an 80-78 deficit after the third quarter.