LeBron James feels the Los Angeles Lakers are not "where we want to be" after they were beaten by the Boston Celtics on Monday.

James' assessment of his team's performances came in the wake of a 126-115 defeat to the Celtics on Christmas Day, a loss that dropped the Lakers to 16-15 on the season.

The defeat was the Lakers' fifth in their last six games, leaving them ninth in the Western Conference.

James knows his team must do better if they are to make it into the postseason come the end of the regular season, telling reporters: "I don't think we're healthy right now.

"I don't think we're where we want to be to compete versus the top teams until we continue to get better and better.

"For us, we're still trying to figure our situation out as far as how we want to continue to attack each game."

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he helped his team move up to 23-6 on the season.

Tatum believes he has learned a lot from James, paying tribute to the four-time MVP after Monday's game, saying: "He's been the most complete player in the game for a very, very long time.

"There's a lot that you can learn from a guy like him. Obviously, the way that he thinks the game, [he is] two, three steps ahead of everybody else.

"And as a younger player, just always trying to find ways to impact the game. You're not always going to make shots, but [you] still want to be the best player and dominate the game in different ways every single night. So that's what I tried to do tonight."

In a Christmas Day slate full of noteworthy performances, Luka Doncic was the star atop the Christmas tree.

Doncic scored 50 points, eclipsing 10,000 for his career, and added six rebounds and 14 assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 128-114 in the NBA’s Christmas night cap.

Doncic went 8 of 16 from 3-point range and made all 12 of his free throw attempts as he reached the 10,000-point milestone in 358 career games, the seventh-fastest in NBA history.

Rookie center Dereck Lively II added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double, while Derrick Jones Jr. contributed 23 points.

Grayson Allen led the Suns with 32 points while Kevin Durant (4 for 11) and Devin Booker (6 for 14) had poor shooting nights.

Celtics get first Christmas win over Lakers

Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 25 despite an off shooting night and the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 126-115.

The Celtics’ win was their first ever against the Lakers on Christmas Day, overcoming a 40-point, 13-rebound performance from Anthony Davis.

LeBron James had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers dropped to 2-6 since winning the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.

Jokic shines in win over Warriors

Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double and made all 18 of his free throw attempts, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 120-114 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Jokic had 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the defending champions as the Nuggets won a season-high fifth consecutive game and improved to 12-2 at Ball Arena this season.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 28 points.

The Warriors’ leading scorer was Andrew Wiggins, who netted 22 off the bench.

Steve Kerr lauded Stephen Curry's "magical" performance as the two-time NBA MVP propelled the Golden State Warriors to victory over the Boston Celtics.

Curry, whose NBA record of 268 successive games with a successful 3-pointer came to an end in the Warriors' previous outing, was on fire as Kerr's team saw off Boston 132-126 in overtime on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old had 33 points, with seven of those coming in overtime, nailed a brilliant 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to inspire the Warriors to victory.

Klay Thompson chipped in with 24 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, but the plaudits went to Curry.

"Nothing shocks me with Steph, that shot was insane, the catch-and-shoot, the arc," Kerr said.

"But I fully expected it to go in, and I think all of our fans did, too. The guy's magical.

"I can't explain it. That's just the kind of stuff he does."

Rookie Jackson-Davis said of Curry's shot: "It was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

Curry, though, credited the work of Kuminga and Jackson-Davis down the stretch.

"Trayce's two blocks he had, you feel the crowd get into it, everybody hyped up. Then JK's steel in the first minute of OT," Curry said. "I was feeding off the crowd's energy and those guys created that with those individual plays.

"Everybody with significant minutes contributed in some way, shape or form. It was a gutsy win, to say the least."

The Warriors have now won their last three games, moving to 13-14 for the season, a game behind the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.

Boston remain top of the East, but they have suffered three successive road defeats.

Ja Morant scored 34 points in his season debut, including a spinning dribble in the lane to set up a game-winning floater as time expired, to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 115-113 victory Tuesday over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Morant didn’t look rusty in his return, shooting 12 of 24 from the field with eight assists and six rebounds to help Memphis snap a five-game losing streak.

His point total was the most in NBA history by a player coming back from an absence of at least 25 games.

The Grizzlies went 6-19 during Morant’s suspension for his social media antics with guns.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and Desmond Bane added 21 for Memphis.

Brandon Ingram poured in 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 22 and 4 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had a four-game winning streak stopped.

Zion Williamson was limited by foul trouble and was limited to 13 points.

Lillard has 40 to power Bucks past Spurs

Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points to reach 20,000 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their fifth straight win, 132-119 over the San Antonio Spurs.

Lillard increased his career point total to 20,034 to become the 51st player in NBA history – and eighth active player – to accumulate 20,000 points. He is the 17th-fastest player to reach that milestone.

Antetokounmpo had a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds and a season-low 11 points for his second triple-double this season and 37th of his career.

Milwaukee is 5-0 on its season-long, six-game homestand that concludes Thursday against Orlando. The Bucks have won 14 straight games at Fiserv Forum for their longest home winning streak since a 20-game run from April 19, 1990-Jan. 8, 1991.

The Spurs played without rookie Victor Wembanyama (sore right ankle) and lost for the 20th time in 21 games.

Warriors outlast Celtics in overtime

Stephen Curry scored 33 points, including seven straight in overtime, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Celtics, 132-126 to end Boston’s five-game winning streak.

Klay Thompson had 24 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as the Warriors won their third in a row.

Derrick White scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown had 26 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which dropped its third straight road game.

Al Horford’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in overtime drew the Celtics within 127-126, but Curry drilled a 3 with the shot clock winding down with 12 seconds to play and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has more records in his sights after he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's rebounds haul.

Antetokounmpo overtook Abdul-Jabbar's rebound record for the Milwaukee Bucks as he grabbed the 7,162nd rebound of his career during Sunday's 128-119 win over the Houston Rockets.

The two-time MVP finished with a double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds as the Bucks made it four straight wins since their loss to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA's in-season tournament.

With another franchise record in the bag, Antetokounmpo has no plans to slow down in chasing more achievements.

"It's a big honour," said Antetokounmpo, who also holds franchise records for blocks, triple-doubles, games, minutes, free throws made and field goals.

"I don't think anybody assumed the skinny kid from Greece that was drafted and supposed to play in the G-League was going to be in a position to break a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record.

"I want to keep on playing the game at a high level. I want to keep on taking care of my body and I know if I do that, sometimes you break records.

"But at the end of the day, I'm beyond blessed to be the all-time leader in rebounds, but I got to keep going and keep moving forward."

One team record that has evaded Antetokounmpo so far is for successful 3-pointers. That is held by his teammate Khris Middleton, who has 1,253 to his name.

Middleton has no plans to let that record go, either.

"Hell nah. Hell nah," he chuckled. "Now he's got everything, except for the three-ball."

The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Boston Celtics, whose superb home record continued with a 114-97 win over the Orlando Magic.

Boston are now 14-0 at home. It is their second-best start at home in a season, behind the 1957-58 campaign, in which a Bill Russell-led team opened with 17 straight victories. 

"For a visiting team to come into this building and beat us, it's got to be a special night for them and we totally believe that," said Kristaps Porzingis, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Jaylen Bronw had 31 points, with Jayson Tatum collecting 23.

"I think we're starting to play what I would call Celtic basketball," said coach Joe Mazzulla.

"From a mentality standpoint, from a toughness standpoint, from defensive standpoint and identity."

The Boston Celtics completed a five-game homestand Sunday just like they started it over a week ago - with a win.

The Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Magic 114-97 to improve their NBA-best home record to 14-0.

The only better home start in franchise history came from the 1957-58 club, which won its first 17 games in Boston.

It was the fifth straight victory for the Celtics, as they improved to 20-5 to move a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the league's best record.

Jaylen Brown scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter for Boston, which used a 20-3 run over a six-minute stretch in the final period to put the game away.

Brown hit five of the Celtics' 17 3-pointers, while Jayson Tatum was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points.

Boston now embarks on a four-game California trip before returning home to host the Detroit Pistons on December 28.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 36 points and 10 rebounds, but the only other Magic player to score in double figures was Jalen Suggs, who added 13 points.

Orlando (16-9) failed to reach triple digits for just the second time all season in losing for the fourth time in six games following a nine-game winning streak.

Pelicans drill franchise-record 22 3-pointers in rout of Spurs

The New Orleans Pelicans missed the first two 3-point shots they attempted in the opening minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.

They didn't miss too many more after that.

The Pelicans set a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in an emphatic 146-110 win over the San Antonio Spurs for their fourth straight victory.

After missing those first two 3-point tries, New Orleans (16-11) connected on 22 of 40 shots from beyond the arc the rest of the way and led by as much as 40 points to send the Spurs to their 19th loss in 20 games.

CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 29 points while going 6-of-7 from 3-point range and Brandon Ingram added 26 points and made 5-of-7 3-point tries.

Victor Wembanyama was the lone bright spot for the Spurs (4-21), who lost by more than 35 points for the third time this season.

Wembanyama had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his eighth consecutive double-double - the longest stretch by a teenager, surpassing the previous NBA record set by Dwight Howard in 2005.

Antetokounmpo passes Abdul-Jabbar to become Bucks' career rebounding leader in win over Rockets

Giannis Antetokounmpo became the Bucks' all-time leader in yet another statistic in Milwaukee's 128-119 win over the Houston Rockets.

Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points and a season-high 17 rebounds to surpass Kareerm Abdul-Jabbar to become the franchise's career rebounding leader.

Antetokounmpo moved past Abdul-Jabbar midway through the fourth quarter when he grabbed Tari Eason's missed shot for his 14th board of the game, giving him 7,162 rebounds with the Bucks.

The two-time NBA MVP is also the Bucks' all-time leader in points and assists, and is now one of just four players in league history to lead a franchise in points, rebounds and assists, joining Michael Jordan (Chicago), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota).

Damian Lillard had game highs of 39 points and 11 assists and Khris Middleton scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Milwaukee, which pulled away for its fourth straight win. It also marked the 13th straight home win for the Bucks, who improved to 14-1 in Milwaukee.

Houston (13-10), meanwhile, saw its five-game winning streak come to an end as it dropped to 2-9 on the road.

Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 22 points and six assists, while Alperen Sengun added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Derrick White scored 30 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 in his return to the lineup as the Boston Celtics remained perfect at home with Friday's 133-123 win over the New York Knicks.

Jayson Tatum chipped in 25 points to help Boston improve to 10-0 at TD Garden this season and bounce back from Monday's 122-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA's In-Season Tournament quarter-finals.

Porzingis, who had missed the Celtics' previous four games with a strained left calf, tallied 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the first half to help stake Boston to a 74-65 lead at intermission.

The Celtics stretched their advantage to as many as 20 points in the third quarter and the Knicks never got closer than seven points down in the fourth.

Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett each had 23 points for New York, which had won three straight prior to Tuesday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Tournament quarterfinals.

Fox leads rally as Kings top short-handed Suns

De'Aaron Fox scored 23 of his game-high 34 points in the fourth quarter as the Sacramento Kings dominated the second half en route to a 114-106 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Domantas Sabonis compiled 15 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for Sacramento, which overcame a nine-point half-time deficit by outscoring the Suns by a 33-12 margin in the third quarter.

Phoenix, which played without Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury and remains without fellow star Bradley Beal, shot 52.4 per cent in the first half to build a 59-50 lead. 

The Suns went 6 of 23 from the field in the third quarter, though, as the Kings fought back to tie the game before finishing the period on a 16-4 run to take an 83-71 advantage into the fourth.

Fox then took over in the final quarter as Sacramento gradually pulled away, with his 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining giving the Kings a comfortable 112-98 lead.

The slumping Suns lost for the fourth time in five games despite Devin Booker's 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting along with seven assists. Eric Gordon added 19 points for Phoenix.

Thunder continue mastery of Warriors with overtime win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points, Jalen Williams added 28 and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied late in regulation before handing the Golden State Warriors a 138-136 overtime loss.

Chet Holmgren chipped in 21 points, including three free throws with 7.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter that forced overtime, as the upstart Thunder defeated the veteran Warriors for the third time in four meetings this season. 

Golden State fell to 10-12 on the season despite 34 points from Stephen Curry and 22 from Klay Thompson. Jonathan Kuminga posted 24 points and 12 rebounds off the bench before fouling out in OT.

The Thunder battled back from a 14-point second-quarter deficit, then never trailed in overtime after opening the session on a 12-3 run capped by a Holmgren 3-pointer that gave them a 130-121 lead with 2:40 left.

Golden State fought back and pulled to within 136-134 on Curry's 3-pointer with 29.7 seconds remaining, but Holmgren fed Luguentz Dort for a critical layup on the ensuing possession and the Warriors eventually ran out of time.

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers savoured "a very special" night after they saw off the Boston Celtics in the closing stages of a dramatic in-season tournament quarterfinal.

Indiana has reached the final four stage in Las Vegas and will face the winner of Tuesday's game between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals.

The Pacers won 122-112 on Monday, spurred on by a tiebreaking four-point play from Haliburton with 1:33 left, which delighted an electric home crowd and sparked a decisive 9-0 run.

Haliburton had 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to record his first career triple-double at the perfect time, putting his team two wins away from NBA Cup glory.

He had missed Saturday's win over the Miami Heat with a respiratory infection and conceded he felt "dead" in a first half where he struggled with his breathing, but after using an inhaler at halftime the 23-year-old was able to produce a memorable second-half performance that led his team to a famous victory.

Haliburton was thrilled to upset the odds against Boston, who blew out Indiana 155-104 in November and came into the quarterfinal with a league-leading 15-4 record.

"We have wanted to be in this situation all year – and here we are," Haliburton said, per ESPN.

"Now it's not just about being here. It's about winning.

"It feels good to win, especially in a game where nobody expected us to. The atmosphere was crazy.

"It means the world to me to represent Indiana and this organization. I don't even know if it was as much about what was at stake, as it was about what they did to us the last time. I think that left a bad taste in our mouths."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle felt the tournament clash was like a playoff game.

"The thing about the in-season tournament is that as you advance, you're going to play two more games – win or lose in the quarterfinals – against better opponents," he said. 

"And so this is something that's great for us because we need high level competition. 

"It really is another thing that is a simulator of playoff basketball. So it really helps us. And so, coming out with the win was big for a lot of reasons that I mentioned.

"But I know this is very special to Tyrese as well."

Center Myles Turner has been with the Pacers since 2015 so is well qualified to put the atmosphere and occasion into context.

"I haven't heard it like this here in like three or four years, probably since Victor Oladipo was here," he said after scoring 17 points and adding 10 boards.

"The energy was just incredible. I think this city really started rallying around this team. The story, the backstory of it all makes it the most special.

"And the fact that he [Haliburton] got his opportunity, he is able to take it and run with it ... I mean, it's just dope to see where this franchise, where I started with to what it's becoming and what it potentially can become from the same level. 

"It's honestly, like I said, it goes back to the atmosphere. I haven't heard MVP chants, maybe when Oladipo was here, but Ty's really come in and taken over and it's fun stuff."

Jayson Tatum had 32 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, while Jaylen Brown scored 30 points and added nine boards.

But those efforts were still not enough to prevent elimination as Boston played without injured All-Star Kristaps Porzingis.

The defeat left Tatum disappointed to miss out on the Las Vegas showpiece as the in-season tournament continues to gain momentum and popularity.

"We got to just be more connected defensively," he said. "But, I mean, it's the NBA. Sometimes guys are going to make plays.

"He [Haliburton] hit some tough shots. So it's kind of two fold. Guys get paid a lot of money to play basketball, and they're pretty good.

"Yeah. I wanted to go to Vegas, I didn't want to go home. I wanted to go Vegas, so yeah, I'm mad. Next year, I guess."

Indiana's semifinal will be on Thursday, a day before Boston hosts the loser of the New York-Milwaukee quarterfinal in their next game.

Kristaps Porzingis will be absent as the Boston Celtics aim to seal their place in the last four of the NBA's in-season tournament.

Porzingis has missed the Celtics' last three games after sustaining a calf injury in a defeat to the Orlando Magic on November 24.

And the Latvian, who joined Boston from the Washington Wizards in the off-season, will not recover in time to face the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Porzingis is averaging 18.9 points, just slightly below his career average (19.6), across his 15 games this season. Tyrese Hailburton, meanwhile, is a doubt for the Pacers.

The winner of Monday's quarter-final will head to Las Vegas for the semi-finals.

Jayson Tatum was perplexed by the decision to eject him from the Boston Celtics' win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, claiming the officials were "ready" to throw him out of the game.

Tatum was ejected with just two seconds to play in the third quarter after he caught Robert Covington in the face with a flailing arm near the sideline.

The foul was upgraded to a flagrant one upon review, with the four-time All-Star subsequently remonstrating with referee Nick Buchert and interrupting the officials' huddle, which saw him awarded his second technical foul of the game.

A series of Covington free throws saw the Sixers take the lead after Tatum's dismissal, but the Celtics rallied for their third win in a row as Al Horford and Jaylen Brown finished with 20 points apiece.

Tatum was still stunned by the call to dismiss him when conducting his post-game media duties, saying of the officials: "They were ready to throw me out. Did I cuss? No, I didn't. I was shocked. 

"They always say, 'get your money's worth. You're going to get fined.' I definitely did not get my money's worth!

"I was extremely surprised. You all saw what happened. You might not know what I said, but I mean, I guess whatever I said doesn't matter at this point. I don't agree with that. 

"One of the assistant coaches was there with me, he doesn't agree. But it doesn't really matter, right? When they throw you out, they throw you out.

"Even if I was right, you know, they could go back and talk about it after the game. It's not like we get that game back, I don't get that time back. 

"It's unfortunate, but like I said, I can't change what happened, just how players compete and affect the game. 

"The refs have an effect on the game. They threw me out, and right or wrong, it's their word against ours. I can't get that time back."

Tatum had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes on the court. Despite his ejection, the Sixers struggled without reigning MVP Joel Embiid and guard Tyrese Maxey as Boston improved to a league-best 15-4. 

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla did not mind Tatum showing some fight, declaring: "I actually like it, I think some of that is important. 

"Obviously, you don't want it to get in the way of winning. But I think that type of passion and caring… I'd rather see that than nothing at all."

The Celtics will look to stretch their winning streak to four games when they go on the road to face the Indiana Pacers on Monday, before hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers for back-to-back games the following week.

The Orlando Magic beat the Washington Wizards 130-125 on Friday to match a franchise record with their ninth straight win behind strong games from Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.

Wagner scored 31 points for his third straight game with at least 30 and Banchero had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Orlando has had four nine-game winning streaks, previously in 1994, 2001 and 2010-11. The Magic are one of only two NBA franchises without a double-digit win streak. The Indiana Pacers’ longest win streak is also nine games.

Jalen Suggs and Banchero combined for 10 straight points midway through the third quarter to give Orlando an 86-79 lead.

The Magic did not pull ahead for good until Wagner’s layup with 7:06 remaining opened a 7-0 run.

Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 27 points and Daniel Gafford had 18 and 11 rebounds. The Wizards have lost 11 of 12.

Tatum ejected but Celtics get past depleted 76ers

Jayson Tatum scored 21 points before he was ejected and the Boston Celtics defeated the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers, 125-119 to remain unbeaten on its home court.

Tatum was tossed near the end of the third quarter for arguing a foul call after he had already received a technical in the first half.

Derrick White also had 21 points and Jaylen Brown and Al Horford each added 20 for Boston, which has won three straight overall and improved to 9-0 at home.

The 76ers, who were without leading scorers Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, were led by Patrick Beverley’s season-high 26 points.

Jokic lifts Nuggets as Durant moves up scoring list

Nikola Jokić had 21 points and 16 assists to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Phoenix Suns, 119-111 on the night Kevin Durant moved into 10th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

Reggi Jackson added 20 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 19 with 10 rebounds as the Nuggets won their fourth straight game.

Durant finished with 30 points but shot 8 of 25 from the field and missed all five shots in the fourth quarter.

He moved into 10th place on the scoring list in the second quarter, driving the baseline for a layup to pass Moses Malone with 27,411 points.

Denver played without Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel), while Phoenix was without Devin Booker (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back).

Moritz Wagner delivered 27 points off the bench to lead the surging Orlando Magic to a 113-96 victory over the Boston Celtics in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Friday.

Paolo Banchero added 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists to help the Magic extend their winning streak to six games and improve to 11-5. Orlando has missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and last had a winning campaign in 2018-19.

The win also moved Orlando to the top of the Tournament's Group C standings at 3-1, a half-game ahead of the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. 

The Magic trailed 30-19 after one quarter but outscored Boston by a 29-18 margin in the third to take a 77-74 lead into the fourth quarter. Wagner then scored the final eight points of a 10-0 run to begin the fourth as Orlando extended its advantage to double digits.

Jayson Tatum had 26 points to lead Boston, which shot a season-low 24.1 percent from 3-point range and lost for the second time in three games. Jaylen Brown finished with 18 points but went 6 of 22 from the field. 

Booker has 40 to lead streaking Suns

Devin Booker poured in a season-high 40 points and the Phoenix Suns won their sixth straight game, 110-89 over the lowly Memphis Grizzlies in an In-Season Tournament game.

Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen scored 14 points apiece for the Suns, who stayed hot despite playing without leading scorer Kevin Durant, a late scratch due to right foot soreness.

Phoenix improved to 3-1 in the tournament but is still a game behind the Lakers, who won Group A with a 4-0 record. The Suns must now wait on how other teams in the West fare to see who qualifies for the wild-card spot.

Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 21 points and Derrik Rose added 17. Memphis lost its third straight overall and dropped to 0-7 at home this season.

Knicks erase huge deficit to beat Heat

Jalen Brunson scored 24 points and the New York Knicks mounted a furious rally in a 100-98 victory over the Miami Heat to stay alive in the In-Season Tournament.

Immanuel Quickley had 20 points off the bench and RJ Barrett added 18, including a key three-point play down the stretch.

Jimmy Butler had 23 points for Miami but missed a potential winning 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

New York tied Miami at 2-1 in the Eastern Conference’s Group B, with Milwaukee in first place at 3-0.

The Knicks, who trailed 83-62 with 3:40 left in the third quarter, scored 12 straight points in the fourth to take a 97-96 lead with 1:59 remaining. Brunson’s jumper made it 99-96 with 84 seconds to play.

Jaylen Brown had 26 points and eight assists as the Boston Celtics cooled off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks with a 119-116 victory on Wednesday in a clash between two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

Jayson Tatum added 23 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 as Boston bounced back from Monday's overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets that snapped its six-game winning streak.

The Celtics also ended Milwaukee's run of five straight wins while preventing Antetokounmpo from reaching the 40-point mark for a third consecutive game.

Boston held Antetokounmpo to 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting two nights after the two-time NBA MVP went 20-of-23 from the field in a 42-point performance Monday against the Washington Wizards.

The Celtics never trailed in improving to 6-0 at home this season, as they opened the game with a 10-0 run and built a 29-17 lead after one quarter before extending the margin to 67-53 at halftime.

Milwaukee got a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit down to four in the final minute, but the Celtics hit 5 of 6 free throws late to seal the win.

Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting, while Damian Lillard finished with 27 points and five assists. 

Streaking Magic survive Jokic’s triple-double

The Orlando Magic won their fifth straight game, as Franz Wagner scored 24 of his 27 points in the second half in a 124-119 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

 Paolo Banchero had 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to put Orlando ahead for good.

Goga Bitadze, Jalen Suggs and Wagner clinched the win with six straight free throws in the final 14 seconds.

Jokic had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season and 111th of his career, the fourth-most in NBA history.

Gilgeous-Alexander leads red-hot Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and 12 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their sixth consecutive win, 116-102 over the Chicago Bulls.

Chet Holmgren tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks and Isaiah Joe added 20 points for the Thunder, who are on their longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points for the Bulls after making just one basket in the first half.

Chicago played without leading scorer Zach LaVine, who sat with a sore right foot.

Miles Bridges' 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in overtime capped a stunning rally by the Charlotte Hornets, who snapped the Boston Celtics' six-game winning streak with a 121-118 victory on Monday.

The Hornets trailed by 11 points with six minutes remaining in regulation and overcame a 45-point night from Boston star Jayson Tatum to end a run of six consecutive home losses. LaMelo Ball led the comeback with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while former Celtic Gordon Hayward scored six of his 20 points in overtime.

Bridges added 14 points and 15 rebounds in his third game back from a suspension for a domestic violence arrest that caused him to miss the entire 2022-23 season and the first 10 games of this one.

The Celtics appeared on the way towards another victory before Charlotte scored the final nine points of the fourth quarter. Ball hit a key 3-pointer during the late run and forced overtime with a driving layup with 7.2 seconds remaining.

Tatum's 3-pointer with 57.6 seconds left in regulation put Boston back up by a 116-114 score, but Ball fed Hayward for a dunk on the ensuing possession and after the Celtics' Jaylen Brown missed a 3-pointer, Bridges buried a 25-foot jumper with time winding down to give Charlotte a 119-116 lead.

Payton Pritchard went 5 of 8 from 3-point range and recorded 21 points off the bench for Boston, while Tatum added 13 rebounds and six assists.

Curry extends 3-point record as Warriors halt six-game skid

Stephen Curry made five more 3-pointers and collected 32 points to get the Golden State Warriors back on track with a 121-116 win over the Houston Rockets.

Curry, the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made, finished 5 of 9 from beyond the arc to become the first in league history with 13 consecutive games with four or more triples to begin a season. 

Klay Thompson broke out of a shooting slump with 20 points to help the Warriors end a six-game losing streak. Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists, while Dario Saric contributed 18 points off the bench. 

Thompson, who ended 5 of 11 from 3-point range, had 12 first-half points as Golden State built a 63-53 lead at intermission. Curry scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter to allow the Warriors to stay in front the rest of the way.

The Rockets lost for the third straight time following a six-game winning streak despite Alperen Sengun's 30 points and 13 rebounds. Fred VanVleet dished out 14 assists for Houston but went just 3 of 13 from the field while being held to 10 points.

Pelicans snap Kings' winning streak with 36-point blowout

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Zion Williamson had 26 as the New Orleans Pelicans cooled off the Sacramento Kings with a 129-93 rout.

The Pelicans shot 54 per cent from the field and led by as many as 41 points in ending Sacramento's six-game winning streak. Ingram made all five of his 3-point attempts and shot 11 of 18 overall, while Williamson converted 12 of his 16 field goal tries and added five assists and three steals.

Williamson racked up 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting during a dominant first half as the Pelicans took a 66-53 lead into the break. New Orleans then broke the game open by outscoring the Kings by a 34-16 margin in the third quarter, with Ingram delivering 18 points for the period.

Sacramento shot just 24.4 per cent from 3-point range, including a 2-of-12 performance from leading scorer De'Aaron Fox. 

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 16 points. Fox ended with a season-low 14 after coming into the contest averaging 31.9 per game. 

Joe Mazzulla was thrilled to see his Boston Celtics side win without playing at their best after their victory over the New York Knicks.

The Celtics came out on top 114-98 on Monday, with Jayson Tatum scoring 35 points, 17 of which came in the final quarter.

Boston were far from at their best, particularly when it came to their shooting, with even Tatum off his game, missing seven of the first eight games.

Tatum put it together in the stretch, though, and Mazzulla was delighted to see Boston win without being on the top of their game.

"It's the best. I love games like this, because it’s going to reveal who we are, what we've been doing and where we need to get better," he said. 

"You're not playing as well as you can be, and you're only down one. You've got to be thankful for that, because it could be a lot worse.

"And I thought our guys just stuck with it, with the right mindset."

Tatum added: "I missed so many wide-open 3s. I made the toughest one of the night, and I missed all the easy ones. That kind of got me going. I'll take it.

"I've played enough games, had enough tough shooting nights.

"All really, really good scorers know it just takes one to change your momentum, change how you feel about yourself shooting the ball. And once you see one go in, you just feel a lot better about yourself."

Jaylen Brown chipped in with 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 21 and Jrue Holiday finished with 14 to surpass 15,000 career points.

The Celtics are 8-2 for the season and sit second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Philadelphia 76ers.