DeRozan powers Raptors to comeback win over Celtics

Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 41 points, Kyle Lowry had 24 and the Toronto Raptors rallied to end the Boston Celtics’ four-game winning streak with a 114-106 victory Tuesday night.

DeRozan added 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, and Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and a career-high 23 rebounds. The Raptors bounced back after losing to Chicago and Houston last weekend.

Toronto also kept itself above Boston in the Eastern Conference standings. A win would have pulled the Celtics even with the Raptors for second place behind Cleveland.

Isaiah Thomas had 27 points and Marcus Smart scored 16 for the Celtics.

Boston pulled in front with 3:54 left in the second quarter and led until Lowry’s 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the game. With 5:05 to play, Boston was ahead 102-95, but the Raptors closed on a 19-4 run to clinch the victory, their second of the season over Boston.

ROCKETS 121, HORNETS 114

HOUSTON — James Harden had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second consecutive triple-double, and Houston outlasted Charlotte for its ninth straight win.

The Rockets missed 10 shots in a row and let an 18-point lead evaporate before coach Mike D’Antoni called a timeout with 2:26 left. Ryan Anderson made Houston’s first shot in more than four minutes with a 3-pointer out of the timeout, and after a block on the other end, Harden’s layup put Houston up 115-111 with just over a minute to play.

Kemba Walker cut the deficit to one with a 3-pointer, but another layup by Harden made it 117-114 with 28.6 seconds left. Charlotte missed three 3-point tries in the final seconds.

Harden got his 11th triple-double this season and the 20th of his career. He had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Sunday against Toronto, making him the fourth player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in consecutive games.

Walker had 25 points for the Hornets, who dropped their third straight.

JAZZ 100, CAVS 92

SALT LAKE CITY — Gordon Hayward went toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the second half to help Utah beat Cleveland.

Hayward had 28 points and went back and forth with James during a decisive third quarter. James brought the Cavaliers back from a 15-point halftime deficit before Hayward drove the lead back to 14.

Trey Lyles scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz hold on.

Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Utah.

James finished with 29 points and Kyrie Irving added 20 for the defending champs. Kyle Korver had two points and three rebounds in 17 minutes during his Cleveland debut.

WIZARDS 101, BULLS 99

WASHINGTON — John Wall scored 26 points, including a game-winning baseline jumper with 5.9 seconds left, and added 14 assists as Washington moved above .500 by defeating Chicago.

Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Washington (19-18). He also set the screen that freed up Wall for his tiebreaking jumper to seal a 10th straight home win.

Markieff Morris and Bradley Beal each scored 19 points for the Wizards, who completed their biggest comeback victory of the season after trailing by 18 in the second quarter.

Washington is above .500 for the first time since it was 6-5 last season on Nov. 24, 2015.

Denzel Valentine set career highs by scoring 19 points and making five 3-pointers for the short-handed Bulls, who led by seven in the fourth quarter.

Rajon Rondo added 12 points in his first game since Dec. 30.

Chicago was without leading scorers Jimmy Butler (ill) and Dwyane Wade (resting). Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic also sat out with an illness.

Wall hit a pull-up that tied it at 99 with 47.4 seconds to play.

BUCKS 109, SPURS 107

SAN ANTONIO — Michael Beasley scored a season-high 28 points in place of an ill Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Milwaukee rallied to beat San Antonio.

Kawhi Leonard had 30 points for the Spurs, who had their nine-game home winning streak snapped.

Jabari Parker’s layup with 2:56 remaining gave Milwaukee a 103-101 lead, its first since the 3:24 mark of the first quarter. Moments later, rookie Malcolm Brogdon hit a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 108-107 edge. Brogdon sank one of two free throws with 6.7 seconds to go, and Manu Ginobili’s 3-pointer hit the side of the backboard at the buzzer.

Antetokounmpo, who missed Milwaukee’s previous game, started despite having a fever at morning shootaround. He was scoreless for the first time this season, missing his only three attempts in nine minutes.

Beasley responded with 22 points in the second half.

Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge was sidelined with a stomach virus.

HAWKS 117, NETS 97

NEW YORK — Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Dwight Howard added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Atlanta beat skidding Brooklyn to win its season-high seventh straight.

Paul Millsap added 14 points for the Hawks, who led the entire way and have won eight of their last nine road games.

Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets, who have lost seven in a row and 12 of 13.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was a Hawks assistant for four years, the last three (2013-16) under current Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer.

WARRIORS 107, HEAT 95

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kevin Durant added 28 points and Golden State picked it up late to beat Miami.

Durant also had eight rebounds and Draymond Green had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Warriors’ fifth straight win against the Heat and eighth in 10, including three in a row at home.

Klay Thompson had the night off for rest after he played through illness the past two games.

Hassan Whiteside had 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Heat, outscored 26-14 in the third quarter after leading 54-53 at halftime. Miami lost its third straight game and dropped to 1-4 on a six-game road trip.

TRAIL BLAZERS 108, LAKERS 87

LOS ANGELES — C.J. McCollum scored 25 points and Portland used a dominant third quarter to defeat Los Angeles for the 10th consecutive time.

The Trail Blazers were down by two to start the second half, but held the Lakers to 21.7 percent shooting (5 of 23) and blocked four shots in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 23-12.

Damian Lillard overcame an 0-for-8 start to finish with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Portland. Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 rebounds, and Maurice Harkless scored 14 points.

The Lakers shot 38.6 percent for the game. Luol Deng led them with 14 points but did not make a field goal after the first half.

KINGS 100, PISTONS 94

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists to help Sacramento stage a fourth-quarter comeback in defeating Detroit.

The Pistons led by nine entering the fourth, when they were outscored 32-17. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Kings, who had lost five of six since winning a season-high four straight.

Anthony Tolliver added 17 points for Sacramento, and Kosta Koufos scored 10 of his 12 in the final period.

The Kings closed the game with an 11-2 run, and Detroit went scoreless over the final 1:15. Sacramento made four 3-pointers in the fourth and was 13 of 24 overall from beyond the arc, including 4 of 5 for Cousins.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made six 3s and had 21 points for the Pistons, who had won three of four.