Boston
It was the Celtics’ 11th consecutive win over the Kings in Boston, dating to their last loss on Jan. 19, 2007. Terry Rozier added 12 points, and Daniel Theis had 10 points with 10 rebounds.
Buddy Hield scored 17 points and Zach Randolph 16 for the Kings, who lost their sixth in a row — the last three by an average of 24 points.
Boston led 58-45 at halftime and took complete control early in the third quarter, pushing it to 66-47 on Irving’s second 3-pointer in the opening two minutes.
Brown hit consecutive 3-pointers — 27 seconds apart — during a 17-2 run that made it 87-56 late in the third. Irving had seven points during the spree, including his third from beyond the arc in the quarter.
The Celtics led 89-60 after three.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens talked about star Gordon Hayward’s progress from a gruesome broken left ankle suffered in the team’s opener at Cleveland.
“He’s going to be in a boot for however long,” the coach said. “It’s going to be a while before he’s allowed to put any weight on it.”
Stevens said Hayward is in “good spirits” and “has been doing his chair shooting every day.”
The injured forward has visited the team’s practice facility a few times.
Pacers 124, Cavaliers 107
Cleveland
LeBron James had 33 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep Cleveland from losing for the fifth time in six games and falling to 3-5.
The Cavaliers held a lengthy meeting before Tuesday’s practice to discuss their struggles, but the defending Eastern Conference champions have lost by a combined margin of 58 points in their losing streak.
Heat 97, Bulls 91
Miami
Hassan Whiteside returned from a five-game absence with a bruised knee and scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Heat, who went 3-3 on their six-game homestand and gave coach Erik Spoelstra what has apparently become his annual gift — it was the fourth straight year Miami played and won on his birthday.
Suns 122, Wizards 116
Washington
Warren also had 10 rebounds and Devin Booker added 22 points to help the Suns improve to 4-1 under interim coach Jay Triano following an 0-3 start that led to Earl Watson’s firing.
Hornets 126, Bucks 121
Charlotte, n.c.
Walker was 8 for 12 from the field, including 3 for 4 from 3-point range, and 7 for 7 from the foul line to help Charlotte win its third straight game. Monk, the team’s first-round draft pick from Kentucky, had 18 of his 25 points in the fourth.
Antetokounmpo came in averaging 33.7 points, but struggled with foul trouble and finished with a season-low 14 points along with 13 rebounds.
He was limited to five points in the final three quarters.
Sixers 119, Hawks 109
Philadelphia
Robert Covington scored 22 points to help the Sixers (4-4) reach .500 for the first time in four years. Dennis Schroder had 25 points for Atlanta.
Rockets 119, Knicks 97
New York
Harden made six 3-pointers and the Rockets hit 19 to bounce back after two straight losses.
Ryan Anderson added 21 points for the Rockets. They won their eighth straight at Madison Square Garden, a streak that lasts so long that Mike D’Antoni was the Knicks’ coach last time they beat Houston at home, back on Jan. 26, 2009.
Wolves 104, Pelicans 98
New Orleans
Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points for Minnesota, which has won three straight, but nearly blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Magic 101, Grizzlies 99
Memphis, Tenn.
The Magic held the lead through much of the fourth quarter before a rally keyed by Tyreke Evans, who finished with 32 points for Memphis, tied it at 97 with 1:45 left on Marc Gasol’s basket.
A 3-pointer from Gordon with 52 seconds remaining put the Magic ahead for good and Memphis missed long-range jumpers from Mario Chalmers and Dillon Brooks in the final 20 seconds.