NBA Roundup: Hayward Leads Celtics

Boston — Gordon Hayward came off the bench to score a season-high 35 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-102, on Wednesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter while making his third start of the season because Kyrie Irving scratched both of his eyes in Monday’s game against San Antonio. Hayward took over from there, with 13 in the second quarter and 15 in the third to finish with his highest scoring game with the Celtics.

Andrew Wiggins scored 31 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 28 points — and grabbed five of his 12 rebounds — in the third quarter, when Minnesota trimmed a 22-point deficit to six points. But with about four minutes left the Celtics scored eight straight points to clinch their fifth straight win over the Wolves.

Minnesota scored nine of the last 11 points in the first quarter to trim Boston’s 11-point lead to 25-21, and then opened the second with a step-back jumper from Wiggins. It was a four-point game when Boston ran off 16 points in a row to take a 47-27 lead.

Boston led by as many as 22 in the third quarter before Towns scored 15 points during a 23-11 Minnesota run that cut the deficit to 10. He added five more in the final 90 seconds of the third to make it a six-point game.

Boston guard Marcus Smart left in obvious pain after absorbing a pick from Towns early in the second half. He walked over by the Celtics bench with his right arm dangling at his side. After coach Brad Stevens called a timeout, Smart was ushered by the training staff into the tunnel to the locker room.

But Smart was back with about four minutes left in the quarter, getting a big cheer when he rejoined his teammates on the bench. He re-entered the game late in the third and finished with two points and eight assists.

The Celtics said it was a right shoulder strain.

Marcus Morris Sr. left the game in the third quarter with a sore neck and did not return.

Heat 117, Cavaliers 92

Cleveland — Josh Richardson scored 24 points and the Miami Heat — playing without Dwyane Wade — rolled past Cleveland.

Wade missed the game because of an illness, but the Heat cruised without their third-leading scorer. Miami hit 16 of 31 3-pointers.

Nets 126, Pelicans 121

New York — D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and 13 assists, and Brooklyn built up a big enough lead with a 73-point first half to withstand Anthony Davis’ monstrous return to the New Orleans lineup.

Davis finished with 34 points and a career-high 26 rebounds after a one-game absence, but there weren’t enough rebounds to get in the first half, when the Nets opened a 24-point lead during their highest-scoring first half at home in 17 years.

Mavericks 122, Hornets 84

Charlotte, n.c. — Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. fueled an early long-range shooting spree and Dallas beat Charlotte to end a nine-game road skid.

Doncic and Smith each had 18 points, and Harrison Barnes added 17.

Wizards 114, Hawks 98

Washington — Bradley Beal had 24 points, Jeff Green added 22 and Thomas Bryant had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Washington’s victory over Atlanta.

Tomas Satoransky had 14 points and a career-best 11 rebounds for the Wizards.

Magic 112, Bulls 84

Chicago — Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, Aaron Gordon added 18 points and a career-high nine assists, and Orlando led the entire way.

Terrence Ross scored 15 off the bench and Evan Fournier had 13 points and seven assists for Orlando, which has won three of four.

The Magic shot 58 percent from the field.