NBA Roundup: Raptors Snap Celtics’ Streak

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 on Tuesday night with a 114-106 victory.

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 over the 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 had 16 for the Celtics.

The game had nine lead changes in the first half. Boston pulled in front on Gerald Green’s layup 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.

Both high-powered offenses struggled in the first quarter, with the Celtics shooting 36.4 percent from the field and the Raptors not much better at 37.5. Toronto led 23-18 after 12 minutes.

Boston improved in the second quarter, shooting 66.7 percent, with Smart adding nine points and Green matching him off the bench. The Celtics closed on a 13-3 run over the last four minutes to take a 55-46 lead into the interval.

Boston led by 16 in the third quarter, but then DeRozan rallied the Raptors with 19 third-quarter points to get within 84-80 heading into the fourth.

Notes: Celtics G Avery Bradley (right Achilles tendon) missed his second straight contest, while G James Young (right ankle) and C Tyler Zeller (sinus infection) both continued to sit out. … Boston dropped to 6-2 against Atlantic Division opponents this year, with both its defeats coming against Toronto. … Because the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff is prohibited from working the All-Star Game in consecutive seasons, staffs from Toronto and Boston are vying to represent the Eastern Conference for the game next month in New Orleans. The reward goes to whichever team has the best record after Feb. 5. “That’s a real honor to be part of a team that’s in a position to do that,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said.

Rockets 121, Hornets 114

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

The Rockets missed 10 straight shots 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.

Hawks 117, Nets 97

New York — Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Dwight Howard added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and the Hawks won their season-high seventh straight game.

Paul Millsap added 14 points for Atlanta, which led the entire way. Kris Humphries had 13, Malcolm Delaney scored 12 and Thabo Sefolosha finished with 10.

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

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.

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

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