The NBA champion Boston Celtics, fueled by 32 points from Jayson Tatum, bounced back from an overtime defeat with a gritty 124-109 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.
Tatum added 11 points for his third double-double of the season and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points with six rebounds and five assists in a physical game that saw tensions erupt in the fourth quarter when former Celtic Grant Williams sent Tatum sprawling with a shoulder-to-shoulder check.
Williams was ejected, but Brown and others were clearly angered.
Less than a minute later, LaMelo ball was assessed a flagrant foul for crowding in under Tatum as the Celtics star attempted a three-pointer, and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges was ejected in the final minutes for punching the ball.
It all could make for fireworks when the teams face off again on Saturday, but Charlotte’s loss of composure was costly.
The Hornets, down by 11 midway through the third quarter, pulled within one on Ball’s step-back three-pointer with 8:09 remaining.
They were nine points adrift when Williams was tossed and the Celtics scored the next eight points as they pulled away for the win.
“I loved it,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who received a technical foul as did his Hornets counterpart Charles Lee. “It was tremendous.”
“Physical game, guys handled it well, great poise, great execution,” added Mazzulla, who was particularly pleased with Tatum’s response to the foul by Williams.
“I’m glad he’s fine,” Mazzulla said. “What I liked most is how he jumped right up, didn’t lay around … went to the free-throw line and did his business.”
In Toronto, the Los Angeles Lakers let a 26-point lead dwindle to single digits but held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 131-125 victory over the Raptors.
LeBron James set the tone early, scoring 14 of his 27 points in the first quarter.
Anthony Davis poured in 38 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in another monster offensive effort. However, he was more concerned that the Lakers, up 76-51 at halftime, let the Raptors back into the game.
Toronto had cut the deficit to six points early in the fourth quarter and the Lakers’ lead was at eight, 106-98, when Rui Hachimura drilled a pair of three-pointers to push Los Angeles’ advantage back to 12.
That lead was halved with 1:02 remaining before the Lakers closed it out.
“Unacceptable,” Davis said. “We won, and we’ll take the win for sure because it’s hard to win in this league, especially on the road.
“But we’re a long way from where we want to be,” he said. “If we’re going to have any goals and aspirations to do anything this season, we can’t allow that on the defensive end.”
Cavs still unbeaten
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 6-0, leading wire-to-wire in a 120-109 victory over the injury-hit Orlando Magic.
Darius Garland scored 25 points and Donovan Mitchell added 22 for the Cavs. Jalen Suggs scored 28 to lead Orlando, who learned Thursday that top forward Paolo Banchero would be sidelined indefinitely with a torn right oblique muscle.
The New York Knicks, led by 36 points from Jalen Brunson, crushed the Pistons 128-98 in Detroit.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was questionable to start with a sprained wrist, posted a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points and DeMar DeRozan added 27 in his fifth straight 20-point game to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-115.
