Warm Christmas for Boston.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 36 and 30 points respectively to lead the Celtics to victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves (121-109).
Brown scored 23 of 36 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Boston franchise snatch a second victory in its last seven games.
Brown had missed his first seven 3-point attempts, before making three early in the fourth quarter.
"
We got stuck in a little rut, it's good to taste the victory again
," said Brown.
To discover
NBA: schedule and results
NBA standings
Boston takes first place in the Eastern Conference, but it will be in play again on Sunday when the Celtics host the Bucks, who will be looking to bounce back from their loss to Brooklyn (118-110).
Kevin Durant scored 24 points and Brooklyn managed to prevent Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo (26 pts, 13 rebounds) from scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Nets, who sit fourth in the East, claim their eighth straight win and post a 19-7 record since Jacque Vaughn took over as coach from Steve Nash.
Luka Doncic in the history of his club
In the west, the poster between the Suns and the Grizzlies turned completely to the advantage of the Memphis franchise.
The Grizzlies of Ja Morant (12 pts, 11 assists) and Jaren Jackson (24 pts, 10 rebounds) turned for their twentieth victory of the season, against the Suns still deprived of Devin Booker, injured in the groin.
In Houston, the Mavericks beat the Rockets 112-106, thanks to a memorable performance from Luka Doncic, who became the first Mavericks player to score 50 points and distribute 10 assists in one game.
“
Luka is Luka
,” commented coach Jason Kidd.
“
He's the best player in the world.
He showed it tonight, carrying the charge offensively
,” he added.
Joel Embiid slammed 44 points to lead the Sixers to victory over the LA Clippers (119-114).
James Harden distributed 21 assists, the record of his career, succeeding for the occasion a triple-double (20 pts, 11 rebounds).
On a two-point shot with 0.1 seconds remaining, DeMar DeRozan gave the Chicago Bulls victory over the Knicks (118-117).
DeMar DeRozan (25 pts), Zach LaVine (33 pts) and Nikola Vucevic (21 pts) become the first line in Bulls history to each score 20 or more points in four straight games.
Finally, LeBron James' Lakers (34 pts) lost 130-134 to the Charlotte Hornets, led by LaMelo Ball (23 pts) and Terry Rozier (24 pts).
