NEW YORK (AP) - Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 39 points, including eight straight in the fourth-quarter run that sent Brooklyn into the lead for good, and the Nets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 124-120 on Tuesday night.
Kevin Durant added 28 points, James Harden had 23 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, and the three stars scored all the points in the decisive 13-0 spurt. The Nets held on from there to snap the Clippers’ three-game winning streak.
Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and Paul George had 26 for the Clippers, who entered with the NBA’s best record and lost for just the second time in 12 games.
They had a five-point lead midway through the fourth before Durant hit a 3-pointer. Irving followed with one of his own, then made a basket and another 3. Harden finished off the spurt with a 3, making it 110-102 with 4:10 to play.
The Clippers got it down to one in the final seconds before Irving’s free throws closed it out.
RAPTORS 123, MAGIC 108
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Fred VanVleet set a franchise record with 54 points and hit a career-best 11 3-pointers as Toronto beat depleted Orlando.
VanVleet made 11 of his first 12 attempts from 3-point range. He finished 17 of 23 from the field and 9 for 9 at the free throw line to surpass the previous Raptors record of 52 points scored by DeMar DeRozan against Milwaukee on Jan. 1, 2018.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the most points in an NBA game for an undrafted player - eclipsing the 53 scored by Hall of Fame big man Moses Malone on the exact same date 39 years ago.
The fifth-year guard out of Wichita State easily topped his previous high of 36 points set last season. VanVleet’s previous best for 3s in a regular-season game was seven. He made eight in a playoff game last year against Brooklyn.
Once 2-8, the Raptors won for the seventh time in 11 games. They beat the reeling Magic for a second time in three nights and for the seventh consecutive time over the past three seasons.
Norman Powell had 23 points for Toronto, and Kyle Lowry posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 18 rebounds for the Magic, who have lost 12 of 14.
CELTICS 111, WARRIORS 107
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jayson Tatum had 27 points in picking up the offensive slack for Boston without injured Marcus Smart, and the Celtics withstood another scoring spree by Stephen Curry to beat Golden State.
Curry scored 38 points with seven 3-pointers and joined late Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as the only Warriors to score 17,000 points for the franchise.
Jaylen Brown, back in the Bay Area where he starred as a college player at California in Berkeley, had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Boston snapped a two-game skid with its fourth straight victory against Golden State, ending the Warriors’ three-game home winning streak.
TRAIL BLAZERS 132, WIZARDS 121
WASHINGTON (AP) - Damian Lillard scored 32 points, Gary Trent Jr. added 26 while hitting seven 3-pointers and short-handed Portland held off Washington.
Enes Kanter had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who improved to 2-2 on their six-game road trip.
Carmelo Anthony had 21 points off the bench and Robert Covington added 19 for the Blazers, who have been without starters CJ McCollum (foot), Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) and Derrick Jones Jr. (foot) for at least three games each.
Fill-in starter Nassir Little was also out Tuesday with a sprained left knee.
Russell Westbrook had a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Wizards, the only NBA team without five wins this season. Bradley Beal scored 37 points and Rui Hachimura added 24.
PACERS 134, GRIZZLIES 116
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Domantas Sabonis had a season-best 32 points and 13 rebounds to help Indiana snap Memphis’ seven-game winning streak.
Sabonis made 11 of his first 12 shots and had 24 points and 11 rebounds by halftime. It was his 14th double-double in 16 starts.
Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points and Myles Turner scored 22 for the Pacers, who set a season high for points.
The Grizzlies entered with the NBA’s longest active win streak and ended up one victory shy of matching the franchise record of eight straight wins set four times, most recently in 2015.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 25 points.
JAZZ 117, PISTONS 105
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points to lead Utah past Detroit.
Mike Conley added 20 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 for the Jazz, who reclaimed the NBA’s best record. Royce O’Neale finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds as Utah (16-5) won its ninth straight home game.
Jerami Grant scored 27 for the Pistons (5-16).
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