Basketball

Nets superstar and former NBA MVP Durant has been sidelined since February 13 due to a hamstring strain, which also forced him to sit out last month's All-Star Game.

But Durant will make his long-awaited return midweek as the star-studded Nets – without James Harden (hamstring) – welcome the Pelicans to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Durant was averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Nets in 2020-21 prior to the injury, while he was also shooting a career-high 43.4 per cent from three-point range.

The Nets and rivals Philadelphia 76ers share 35-16 records atop the Eastern Conference.

The Nets agreed to trade Irving to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith a first-round draft pick and multiple second-round picks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The trade comes two days after Irving reportedly told the Nets he wanted to leave before Thursday’s trade deadline, otherwise he would depart as a free agent in July.

The 30-year-old is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 40 games this season for a Nets team that entered play Sunday with a 32-20 record and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

He joins a Mavericks team in sixth place in the West with a 28-26 record and will pair with Luka Doncic in the backcourt.

Irving is considered one of the league’s top point guards, having recently been selected to start in his eighth All-Star Game coming up in two weeks, but he also has a history of controversy.

Vocally against the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination mandates, Irving was also sidelined for eight games in November after posting a link on social media to an antisemitic film.

Dallas will be the fourth franchise Irving plays for after he was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011.

He spent his first six seasons in Cleveland and won an NBA title in 2016 before being traded prior to the 2017-18 season to the Boston Celtics.

After two seasons in Boston, he signed a four-year contract with Brooklyn in July 2019.

Iguodala and the Golden State Warriors lost 123-95 in Memphis on Monday, falling five games behind the second-placed Grizzlies in the Western Conference.

For Iguodala, it was a fourth game against the Grizzlies and second return to Memphis since he was traded to the team by the Warriors in 2019.

The former NBA Finals MVP chose not to play for the Grizzlies in a 2019-20 season in which they finished with a 34-39 record and eventually secured a trade to the Miami Heat before heading back to the Bay Area in 2021.

Iguodala's wish to sit on the sideline while a young Grizzlies team battled in the NBA was criticised by guard Brooks, then in his third season.

"I can't wait until we find a way to trade him, so we can play him and show him really what Memphis is about," Brooks said in comments shared on social media by Ja Morant, prompting a back-and-forth with Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.

Neither Morant nor Curry played on Monday due to injury, but Iguodala moved to 0-4 against the Grizzlies since leaving the team.

"[The team] has developed a lot [since then]," said Brooks, who scored 21 points on nine-of-15 shooting.

"We all had the vision and he didn't, which is perfect. Send him back to the Warriors and let him do his thing over there.

"From the beginning, we were growing a base, we had a base, then we just kept building and building and building, and more guys got on the train.

"We were able to create something like this and keep building this dynasty."

The Grizzlies are now a sensational 18-2 without Morant this year, but the Warriors are just 3-9 without Curry.

After the game, in which Golden State coach Steve Kerr was ejected, Iguodala said: "What we can't do is play the blame game when things don't turn out the way they should.

"We had such a great start, things were panning out, and injuries in professional sports you get bit by and you just keep moving forward.

"We've got a group of guys where I think we can get it done. Hopefully we can get healthy, but one thing we have to do is realise that we have to be smart about how we start to implement guys.

"Steph's out and you can't replace that – he's one of the top players ever. We don't want to rush him back or put too much pressure on him, that's how you get another injury.

"That's kind of what happened to me all year, trying to rush back, so we've got to try to be smart about it, try to hold down the fort.

"Interestingly enough, we're going to have to use the playoffs to get better, too. That's just the situation."

Westbrook had 24 assists along with 21 rebounds and 14 points for the Wizards, meaning he will have a triple-double average for the fourth season in his career.

The point guard's 24 assists was an equal career-high, while the Wizards' 50 for the game was a franchise record and the best in NBA history since 1990.

It was also Westbrook's 32nd triple-double of the season, taking him to 178 for his career, only three short of Oscar Robertson's all-time record.

"I've been fortunate to see him for eight years," said Brooks, who coached Westbrook at the Oklahoma City Thunder. "He does a lot of things that are pretty much superhuman at times.

"Point guards don’t do what he does. They're not built that way.

"I used to always say, he's going to go down as the third best point guard ever. I think he's passed one, he's going to go down as the second best. One is obviously Magic [Johnson].

"He's doing MVP-type things every game. He's as high a level as a player this league has ever seen."

Westbrook is averaging 21.8 points per game, 11.3 rebounds per game and 11.2 assists per game this season.

"Personally I feel like I'm the best playmaker in this league because I'm able to do things that nobody else can do," Westbrook said.

"I take pride in playmaking and passing it and making my teammates better. I'm grateful to have a bunch of teammates that make my job so much easier."

The Celtics made it five straight wins as they triumphed 107-105, with Brown playing a key role at both ends of the court.

Brown finished with 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, while he also made a vital intervention to deny Anthony Edwards, who finished with 28 points for Minnesota, the chance to send the game to overtime with just seven seconds left on the clock.

"It's great to have a player of his calibre take defense to another level and take matchups personally," said Mazzulla.

"When your best players are the best defenders it sets a tone for your team and your locker room defensively. He takes pride in individual matchups, and I thought he did a great job of that tonight."

As reported by CLNS Media, Brown reflected: "He's good going to his left hand, but I just wanted to crowd him a little bit, make it tough for him, and waste some time.

"If he did go up to score, I was going to be able to challenge him at the rim.

"I think it was a good defensive possession."

Brown became the second-quickest player in the play-by-play era to sink five 3-pointers in a game, doing so after just three minutes and 34 seconds. 

"I feel like I haven't shot the ball to start off the season as well as I would have liked," Brown said. "I feel like I'm due for a lot of makes."

Brown was backed up offensively by Jayson Tatum's 26 points, while Derrick White added 19 as the Celtics improved to 14-3 for the season.

Brown recorded his first double-double in a half in his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while he added another 18 points in the third quarter.

The Celtics guard shot 15-of-21 from the field with three-of-six from three-point range along with 12 rebounds for the game.

Tatum went 10-of-22 from the field with 10 rebounds and four assists, with Malcolm Brogdon adding 20 points off the bench.

The game marked the seventh time this season that Brown and Tatum have scored at least 30 points each, which is joint for the most before February by two players from the same team in the last 40 seasons.

The other duos to have managed that are Golden State's Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in 2018-19 and Denver's Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe in 1983-84.

The result improves the Celtics to 30-12 overall and 17-5 at the TD Garden, while the Pelicans lose ground on the top two in the west, falling to 25-17.

C.J. McCollum scored 38 points for the Pels, marking the first time in his career he had 20-plus points in a first half in consecutive games.

Jokic falls short of triple-double as Nuggets triumph

Nikola Jokic fell one assist short of a 12th triple-double of the season as the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets claimed their fourth straight win, 126-97 over the Phoenix Suns.

The reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Jokic finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, including a brilliant first-quarter look-away fling to Aaron Gordon.

Jamal Murray added 16 points, although he picked up an ankle complaint, while Bones Hyland contributed 21 for the Nuggets, who have claimed 11 wins in a row at home, along with winning 14 of their past 17.

Grizzlies secure eighth straight win

Ja Morant led the way as the Memphis Grizzlies secured an eighth consecutive victory to keep pressure on the Nuggets at the top of the west with a 135-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Morant scored 21 points in the first half, finishing the game with 38 along with five rebounds and four assists.

The Grizzlies guard also produced a big dunk over Jakob Poeltl in the third quarter, while his put-back with 24.1 seconds left in the fourth sealed the victory.

The Celtics had the opportunity to close to within one win of the Milwaukee Bucks and the number one seed in the East on Wednesday.

Instead, they went down 130-111 to a Wizards team missing Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma.

One of the Celtics' team buses was stuck in traffic for around an hour before the game, and although Boston recovered to make a solid start, it was the first sign of the troublesome night that was to come.

"Tonight it just seemed like everything was going right for Washington; everything was going wrong for us," Brown said.

"On top of all the stuff that was happening before the game... but I'm not one to make no excuses."

The Celtics had recovered from a run of three straight defeats in early March to win seven of the next nine before visiting the Wizards.

While Boston are now 2.5 games back, Brown knows they cannot afford this one-off defeat to become part of a slump.

After the Bucks play the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, they welcome the Celtics to Wisconsin the following night.

"Games like this are not supposed to happen. You're supposed to win," Brown said. "But it's over with now, nothing we can do about it.

"I'm not concerned, because the way my brain works is you have just got to look forward to what's next.

"You don't want one bad night to turn into three bad nights or a bad week. Nobody wants to see that. We don't want to see that, so you don't harp on it.

"Obviously, we dropped the ball. But now you have just got to refocus and get ready for the next one."

Simmons posted 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the 117-111 win at Barclays Center on Monday.

The performance continued a fine run of form that has come at the right time for the 76ers, who remain without Joel Embiid after the All-Star center underwent surgery on his injured left hand on Friday.

"Ben was ridiculously dominant tonight," 76ers coach Brown told reporters after beating Brooklyn.

"He played some four, I played him at five, he had the ball. He was just multi-skilled, used all over the place in multiple positions. Ball handler, screen setter, post target, he was on the five man defensively.

"He was just incredible."

Simmons was earlier named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, having impressed throughout what is now a four-game winning streak.

"I'm just trying to win," the Australian told NBC in an on-court interview. "I know Joel is out so a lot of guys have got to step up. I take a lot of responsibility, just being a leader.

"Offensively I've got to pick it up, so I'm glad we could get this one."

Philadelphia return to action on Wednesday in a road game against the Toronto Raptors.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who has faced criticism throughout the series, blamed himself for the 128-102 loss, as Boston fell to the eighth-seeded Heat for a third straight game.

No team in NBA history has recovered to win a seven-game playoff series when trailing 3-0 and Miami has its first chance to wrap up the series at home on Tuesday.

In a road game the Celtics felt they had to win after two shock home losses, Miami's lead grew to as much as 33 points in the third quarter.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with just 14 points while finishing 6 of 18 from the field and Brown was held to 12 points on 6-of-17 shooting. The two All-Stars were a combined 1 of 14 from 3-point range.

"I don't even know where to start," said Brown after the game, per ESPN. "It's an obvious letdown. I feel like we let our fan base, organization down. 

"We let ourselves down. And it was collective. We can point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing.

"To their credit, they’re playing well above their means.They’re ballin’ right now and I’ve got to give them respect.

"Gabe Vincent, Martin, Strus, Duncan Robinson, guys that we should be able to keep under control are playing their [butt] off.

"The series isn't over yet. It's looking bad, but you come out, have some pride about yourself."

The Celtics were favourites to win the NBA Championship before the series began but now look like a team in crisis just seven days on from their big Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in round two.

"I just didn’t have them ready to play," said Mazzulla, who is in his first season as head coach.

"Whatever it was, whether it was the starting lineup or an adjustment, I have to get them in a better place, ready to play. That’s on me.

"I think some of the defensive identity has been lost and we have to get that back."

While a comeback to reach the Finals from here would be miraculous, Tatum insists Boston has to first and foremost recover some pride.

He said: "It was tough. From the beginning of the game, we were turning the ball over. We didn't shoot the ball well, they shot extremely well and it felt like we never recovered.

"As tough as tonight was, we just got to try to move on. Prepare, get ready, practice, film and stuff for tomorrow.

"Obviously we're in a tough position but we've got to have some pride, bounce back and just be better come Tuesday."

Jimmy Butler has proven inspirational for the Heat in the postseason far but in Game 3 Miami showcased its roster depth.

Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points and Duncan Robinson added 22 off the bench, propelling the Heat to a lopsided victory that puts coach Erik Spoelstra on the brink of a sixth NBA Finals appearance with the team.

The Western Conference finals also look like they are set to reach an earlier than expected conclusion, with the Denver Nuggets enjoying a 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of Game 4 on Monday.

Brown shot four-of-13 for 12 points in Game 1 but shook that off with a masterful first-half display, scoring 25 of his 30 points before the main break, going nine-of-10.

The Celtics led 65-40 at half-time and held off the reigning champions' best efforts to get back into the contest.

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 28 points, with nine rebounds and seven assists and Jrue Holiday added 19 points but shot seven-of-20 from the field and one-of-six from beyond the arc.

The Bucks only managed three triples for the game, while Boston landed 20-of-43 beyond the arc, along with 24 points from turnovers.

Brown also had five rebounds and six assists to go with his 30 points, while Grant Williams chimed in with 21 points for Boston who were without Marcus Smart (quad).

Morant dominates as Grizzlies edge home

Ja Morant starred with 47 points as the Memphis Grizzlies edged the Golden State Warriors 106-101 to level up their series at 1-1 at the FedExForum.

Morant shot 15-of-31 and made five triples among his 47-point haul along with eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals, as the Grizzlies got home after scores were locked at three-quarter time.

Stephen Curry did not shoot at his best, making 11-of-25 from the field and three-of-11 from three-point range for his 27 points with nine rebounds and eight assists.

Jordan Poole added 20 points off the bench, while Klay Thompson could only manage 12 points with three steals. Draymond Green returned after his Game 1 ejection with 10 rebounds.

The pair scored a combined 57 points as the Celtics prevailed 120-95 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series at TD Garden.

White notched up seven three-pointers - going four-for-six in the third quarter - as he became only the fifth player in NBA history to make 20 or more over a three-game span in the postseason, after Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jamal Murray and Damian Lillard.

And Brown, who was 12-for-18 shooting to go with six rebounds, two assists and just one turnover, paid tribute to his team-mate as the Celtics improved to 5-1 in the playoffs.

"Derrick has grown," Brown said. "He's a new version that we haven't seen before.

"He's put the work in, his body has developed a little bit, he's got some more playoff experience. He's being aggressive, and we urge him to do that more and more down the line."

Asked if he felt like he was in a rhythm, White said: "I'd say so. It feels good. I just want to help us win."

Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell's haul of 33 points and six assists proved academic for the Cavaliers, who suffered their fourth successive road defeat in the postseason.

J.B. Bickerstaff, whose side came through an epic seven-game series against Orlando Magic in the opening round on Sunday, saluted the efforts of his players.

"There's a lot of areas we can improve on," he said. "I thought the guys came out with the right intent and the right effort. Facing a team like Boston, I think it's good to be able to play them.

"You're not used to the speed, the spacing, the shooting and all those things until you get up against them - especially coming from a series we just came from that was more of a half-court slugfest, where they play with more tempo and more space. We'll learn from it, and we'll be better."

Holiday top-scored with 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who moved 2-0 ahead in the NBA Finals series with a 105-98 win in Game 2 at TD Garden.

The 33-year-old, who was also 11 from 14 in the field, is eyeing his second NBA title, having triumphed with the Milwaukee Bucks three years ago.

And Brown believes that experience and know-how will be crucial as Boston move within two wins of their record-breaking 18th championship.

"He's brought championship pedigree to our team," he said. "So, nothing Jrue says we question. Jrue, he comes in, and he just is who he is.

"He's got that demeanour, that killer-like mentality, and we respect it. He's a great team-mate, and it's just an honour to play next to him."

"He was unbelievable," Al Horford added. "His effort defensively, and everything he brings on that end. And then, on offense, making reads, making the game easy, making the right decisions.

"He's so poised, and you can tell that he has been in these types of moments. Just very composed and just out there getting the job done."

The Celtics' ninth straight win of this postseason took them halfway towards their first NBA title in 16 years, but Holiday knows there is still a long way to go yet.

"We know being up 2-0 means nothing," he said. "[The] job's not done. We have to do whatever it takes. I'm here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I'll do my best to do that."

Porzingis, who has been absent for five weeks with a calf strain, played a starring role from the bench against his former side, as the Celtics drew first blood in the NBA Finals with a 107-89 win in Game 1.

Having not played since Game 4 in the first round against the Miami Heat, the Latvian marked his return with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks at TD Garden.

And Brown, who top-scored for the Celtics with 22 points, paid tribute to his team-mate.

"Kristaps had a monster game for us," he said. "Just his presence shooting the ball and then him being able to attack those switches and mismatches, he made them pay every time, and that's what we need going forward in the series."

Porzingis was understandably thrilled to make up for lost time with his inspired display for top seeds Boston, who are targeting a record-breaking 18th NBA title this year.

"The adrenaline was just pumping through my veins," he said. "Obviously, it wasn't ideal that I was out for such a long time.

"But, I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back, and it paid off, and we got the job done tonight and had a good game, and happy about the result.

"Tonight was an affirmation to myself that I'm pretty good, you know? Maybe I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty good and I can play like this and I can definitely add to this team."

The 76ers will renew their season and championship bid against Eastern Conference rivals the Indiana Pacers on August 1 following the coronavirus-enforced break, which suspended the NBA in March.

Philadelphia have failed to progress beyond the second round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons – heartbreakingly eliminated by eventual champions the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals last year following Kawhi Leonard's stunning buzzer-beater.

The 76ers have struggled offensively in the postseason with all eyes on Embiid, but head coach Brown said the franchise have been working on the three-time All-Star's ability to deal with the extra attention.

"He's going to be double-teamed more than he isn't," Brown told reporters following Thursday's practice. "You can book it – he spins baseline, the whole gym is coming, I don't care who we are playing.

"What is happening [on his post-ups] in the playoffs, it's because they go at him more repetitively in a seven-game series. It's that heightened awareness for an NBA First Team All-Star.

"And, so I think this camp one of the things I have been doing is damn near every time he catches it, we're coming [with a double team]... He's done a really good job passing out of it.

"So whether they come at him, whether he's going to be able to architect a quarterback mentality out of that post up or whether he's just going to play bully ball and go dunk and score, I think that we're moving toward the reads that are coming."

Embiid was averaging 23.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season prior to the postponement.

The 76ers (39-26) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, sharing the same record as the fifth-placed Pacers ahead of the league's resumption.

The NBA will restart via a 22-team format at Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Joel Embiid's return from injury could not inspire the 76ers on Wednesday as Boston cruised to a 121-87 victory to tie the series.

Brown top scored with 25 points, as Embiid and James Harden, who scored 45 points in the 76ers' Game 1 win, were kept under wraps.

Next up is a trip to Philadelphia for Game 3, but Brown believes the Celtics have nothing to fear.

"I think we've just got to take more pride in ourselves. That's it," Brown told the media.

"I just feel like we underperformed last game. We wanted to come out and play to the best of our ability, and that's what we did.

"Hostile environment. But it should be fun. We should all be excited to embrace that challenge."

Coach Joe Mazzulla was blunt in his assessment of his team's reaction to their defeat in Game 1.

"They were angry, frustrated," he said. "Angry and p*****. Yes [I liked that]."

While Jayson Tatum struggled to make too much of an impact, Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points from the bench for Boston, tying a playoff record for the Celtics in the process as he sunk six three-pointers.

"Our strength is our depth," Brogdon told reporters.

"The way the roster is constructed, we got guys like me, Derrick [White], Grant [Williams] that are playing behind our two superstars and ready to [contribute] when we can."

Celtics guard Marcus Smart, meanwhile, credited Brown's on-court leadership.

"We've got to tip our hats to him, he started that whole momentum for us," Smart said. "We just had to follow his lead.

"When you've got one of your best players setting the tone like that, it's hard for you not to follow. Our defense has been slipping and we wanted to come out and get back to what we do best."

Simmons left Wednesday's 107-98 victory in the third quarter after hurting his knee.

The two-time All-Star had eight points, six rebounds and four assists before the injury.

Philadelphia head coach Brown was waiting to hear more about how serious Simmons' injury was.

"We don't know. I'm sure the club will make some announcement," he said.

"But as far as knowing more than that, I don't. Obviously I'm very curious."

The 76ers are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-27 record.

Center Embiid left the game in the first half after being hit on the wrist and did not return, the Sixers going on to succumb to a 125-121 loss on Wednesday.

The three-time All-Star, who was returning after sitting out against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday with an ankle injury, is reportedly not expected to be out long term after X-rays came back negative.

Speaking after the game, 76ers coach Brown said: "I really don't know a lot to share. I do know it was whacked twice. As it relates to what's next, or the evaluation of it, I am sorry, I can't comment on that."

The defeat meant Philadelphia are guaranteed to finish as the number six seed in the Eastern Conference and face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

This season was the first since 2013-14 in which the 76ers had won their season series against the Celtics, who defeated them in the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Brown is looking forward to the challenge of going up against Boston coach Brad Stevens.

"I've got a lot of respect for Brad. We have had tons of experiences, regular season, playoffs, over the past few years," said Brown.

"I think their team is very unique, in that there is so much firepower at several positions. You know the Philly-Celtics rivalry is historic.

"We are excited and treat this series with tremendous respect. We are excited to compete against them."

The Celtics headed into Game 4 on the road at the Dallas Mavericks looking to complete the sweep and seal their first title since 2008.

However, they were outplayed by their hosts, slumping to a 122-84 blowout loss to end their 10-match playoff winning run and leave them with work to do if they are to get over the finishing line.

The Celtics now head home with the opportunity to get the job done on Monday, and Brown has called upon his team-mates to bounce back from Friday's 38-point defeat.

"These are the moments that can make you or break you," Brown told reporters.

"We have to reassemble. We have to look at it and learn from it, and then we've got to embrace it and attack it.

"It's going to be hard to do what we're trying to do. We didn't expect anything to be easy, but it's no reason to lose our head."

Dallas dominated from start to finish in Game 3, holding an 11-point lead just nine minutes into the contest and never looking back as they stamped out any hopes of a Boston comeback.

Brown praised the Mavericks for their response to losing the first three games of the series, saying: "Give credit to Dallas.

"I think they played hard physically, and then they dominated the glass. I think that was the key that put a lot of pressure on us.

"And then we didn't make shots tonight, and I think that's where, you know, we allowed them to play free, once we get them multiple opportunities to make shots, and then also we didn't hit shots on the other end.

"We're going to look at the film and see where we can get better, and then go from there."

Fox had scored 60 points in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, but he once again dug deep and spurred his team on with 49 points at the Golden 1 Center.

He now has the most points over a two-game span in franchise history, surpassing DeMarcus Cousins' 104 from 2016.

Meanwhile, Fox is now just the third player ever in the NBA to score at least 109 points over two days, joining Kobe Bryant (2007) and Wilt Chamberlain (17 different times).

The Kings were missing DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk, and Brown is proud of how Fox has stepped up in their absence.

"The back-to-back, the overtime game, him playing 75 minutes [on Friday]... for him to come with us missing three of our top six guys, that's what says OK, he's De'Aaron Fox, and he did his job," Brown said.

"Nobody can stop him from getting to his spots when he wants to. He's feeling that. Not only is he feeling that, but he's showing that.

"When you have guys of his calibre - and I've been around the Stephs [Curry] and the KDs [Kevin Durant] and the Kobes and the LeBrons [James] and the Tim Duncans... they get to their spots when they want to.

"The biggest difference between those guys and the other pretty good players is that they do it consistently. So no, I didn't have to say anything to Fox. He knew... he had to carry us."

Fox went 16-of-30 from the field and made 14-of-19 from the free-throw line, while also adding nine assists and two steals.

The night prior, he went 22-of-35 from the field, making six 3-pointers and 10 free throws.

"I was a little tired coming in [on Saturday], but I feel like when the game started, I was fine," Fox said.

"I'm not going to say I'm not tired... but I can't say this back-to-back has made me more tired than any other back-to-back."

The Kings extended their record to 8-6 as they bounced back from that defeat, while Utah are bottom of the Western Conference having suffered a ninth loss of the season. 

Brown posted 27 points, one more than teammate Jayson Tatum, as the Celtics overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 121-99, despite the absence of injured stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

That victory over Portland marked the Eastern Conference-leading Boston's 50th of the season for a third straight campaign.

"All the guys laugh because, around this time of year, I say the same thing – how much of an honor it is to be on this team," Brown said.

"I'm grateful to be on a team that's winning, that's been playing the right way, has another opportunity to do something special. That's a blessing."

With a mammoth 18 games remaining, the Celtics have already secured a playoff spot after becoming the first team to hit the 50-win mark this year.

Boston lost the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in 2022 before Conference Finals defeat against the Miami Heat the following year, though Tatum remains buoyant.

"At this point of the season, to have 50 wins, it means we're doing something right," Tatum added. "The scary part is, we can get better."

Sam Hauser also finished with a season-high six 3-pointers and 22 points for Boston, who have won an NBA-leading 21 games on the road this season.

"We don't really look at a team's record," Hauser said. "It's the NBA, everybody has talented players.

"You can lose any given night, so we just try to take it one day at a time, once game at a time, and find things that we can get better at each and every day."

The Celtics will hope to keep up their winning run on the road when they visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.