NBA roundup: Nets nip Celtics, claim 1st in East

[April 24, 2021]  Joe Harris scored 20 points as the Brooklyn Nets survived a rough shooting night by Kyrie Irving and withstood a late charge by the Boston Celtics to record a 109-104 victory on Friday in New York.

The Nets moved a half-game ahead of the idle Philadelphia 76ers into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jeff Green added 19 for the Nets, who shot 43 percent and withstood Irving missing 15 of 19 shots. Irving still nearly posted a triple-double, winding up with 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Kevin Durant (left thigh contusion) sat out his third straight game.

Boston's Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 38 points after shooting 3 of 17 from the field in each of his previous two games. Rookie Payton Pritchard hit six 3-pointers en route to 22 points.

Hawks 118, Heat 103

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 21 points and a game-high eight assists as host Atlanta, which was without two of its biggest stars, defeated Miami.
 

The Hawks also got 20 points and eight rebounds from John Collins and 17 points each from Danilo Gallinari and Brandon Goodwin. Atlanta was without six players, including Trae Young (ankle) and Clint Capela (bruised tailbone).

Miami, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, was led by Kendrick Nunn, who scored 21 points. Jimmy Butler added 19 points and a team-high seven assists.

Warriors 118, Nuggets 97

Stephen Curry led an unusually balanced Golden State attack with a game-high 32 points as the Warriors beat Denver in San Francisco.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 23 points, Andrew Wiggins 19, Jordan Poole 15 and Mychal Mulder 14 as Golden State won despite relying mostly on just eight players, the result of having lost two in the past two days for COVID-related reasons. Draymond Green dished out a career-high-tying 19 assists.

Harassed much of the night by Green, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was held to 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Denver also lost Will Barton early in the game to an apparently serious hamstring injury.

Grizzlies 130, Trail Blazers 128

Ja Morant scored 33 points and added a season-best 13 assists to help visiting Memphis move within 1 1/2 games of Portland for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Dillon Brooks added 25 points as Memphis prevailed in the first of back-to-back games between the teams. Jaren Jackson Jr. poured in 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting in 25 minutes off the bench in his second game of the season after recovering from August knee surgery.

Damian Lillard scored 27 points and Jusuf Nurkic recorded season bests of 26 points and 17 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fourth straight game and fell for the eighth time in their past 10.

Brooklyn Nets small forward Joe Harris (12) celebrates with power forward Blake Griffin (2) as Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks on during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Wizards 129, Thunder 109

Russell Westbrook had 37 points and yet another triple-double as Washington extended its winning streak to seven by beating host Oklahoma City. The Thunder's losing streak stretched to 13.

Westbrook, playing just his second game in Oklahoma City since being traded away from the Thunder before last season, added 11 rebounds and 11 assists. It was Westbrook's 174th career triple-double, moving him within seven of tying Oscar Robertson's NBA record.

Bradley Beal added 33 points for Washington. Darius Bazley and Theo Maledon scored 20 points apiece for the Thunder. Luguentz Dort, returning after missing the last two games with a hip injury, and Isaiah Roby had 18 points each.

Hornets 108, Cavaliers 102

Miles Bridges scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made key plays on offense down the stretch as host Charlotte picked up a much-needed win at the expense of Cleveland.

P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier also each supplied 25 points for the Hornets, who won for just the second time in their last eight games and the only time in three games against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers received big games from Collin Sexton, who racked up 28 points, and Darius Garland, who finished with 27 points and six assists.

Clippers 109, Rockets 104

Paul George finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds to lead Los Angeles past host Houston for its fourth consecutive win and 11th in the past 12 games.

Los Angeles rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the fourth quarter with a spurt of four 3-pointers, three of which fueled an 11-2 run. Reggie Jackson scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Marcus Morris Sr. and Rajon Rondo.

John Wall had 27 points and 13 assists, Christian Wood contributed 24 points and 19 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk compiled 23 points and 10 boards for the Rockets, who lost their third game in a row.

--Field Level Media