Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is fouled as he goes to the hoop against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is fouled as he goes to the hoop against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Credit: Elise Amendola

Boston — Kyrie Irving scored 24 points in three quarters and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks, 129-108, on Friday night for their eighth straight victory.

Irving also had five assists, five rebounds and four steals. He scored 12 points in the first quarter and helped Boston race to a 23-5 lead. The Celtics topped 100 points with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Jayson Tatum had 22 points for Boston, Marcus Morris added 20, Gordon Hayward had 19 points and five assists, Daniel Theis scored 18 points and rookie Robert Williams III blocked five shots.

Kevin Huerter led Atlanta with 19 points, and John Collins had 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawks, losers of six of seven, had nine of their 24 turnovers in the first quarter.

Atlanta regrouped in the second quarter and pulled to 49-45, but Boston pushed the lead back up to 11 at halftime and continued pulling away in the second half with an opening 13-2 run.

Tatum’s three-point play with 2:04 left in the third pushed the Celtics over 100 points at 101-79. A technical on Bazemore after the call led to another free throw, followed by another Ton Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce 5 seconds later. Boston led 108-82 after three and let its reserves take over in the fourth quarter.

Knicks 126, Hornets 124 (ot)

Charlotte, n.c. — Emmanuel Mudiay had 34 points and eight assists and short-handed New York overcame a 21-point deficit to snap a five-game skid.

Mudiay scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a fadeaway jumper with 27.2 seconds left to tie it at 113.

Nets 125, Wizards 118

New York — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension, and Brooklyn beat Washington for its season-best fourth straight victory.

Joe Harris added 19 points for the Nets. They put up a season-high 70 points in the first half but had a 16-point lead trimmed to four in the fourth quarter.

Bucks 114, Cavaliers 102

Cleveland — Giannis Antetokounmpo matched his career high with 44 points and Milwaukee beat Cleveland despite missing two starters.

Antetokounmpo’s big night came after being held to a season-low 12 points Wednesday night in a loss to Indiana.

Pacers 113, Sixers 101

Philadelphia — Thaddeus Young had 26 points and 10 rebounds against his former team, and the Pacers overcame Joel Embiid’s 40-point night to beat Philadelphia.

Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points, and the Pacers won their sixth straight to pass the Sixers in the standings.

Victor Oladipo played in his second consecutive game after missing 11 in a row with a knee injury and had 14 points and nine assists.

Embiid also had 21 rebounds, becoming the first Sixers player with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds since Charles Barkley on Dec. 7, 1990.

Embiid is the first player in the NBA this season with a 40-point, 20-rebound game.