Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 18 and the Boston Celtics handed the Golden State Warriors their most lopsided home loss in 40 years with a 125-85 victory on Monday, Jan. 20.
Celtics hand Warriors most lopsided home loss in 40 years
At a glance
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 18 and the Boston Celtics handed the Golden State Warriors their most lopsided home loss in 40 years with a 125-85 victory on Monday, Jan. 20.
The Celtics built a double-digit lead early and put the game away with a 43-24 edge in the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown added 17 points and Payton Pritchard scored 14 for Boston.
Stephen Curry scored 18 points to lead Golden State. The Warriors shot 34.8% for the game, with Andrew Wiggins making just 1 of 11 shots.
The Warriors lost by at least 40 points at home for the sixth time since moving to California in 1962 and first since a 149-104 loss to Dallas on Jan. 15, 1985.
Boston got off to a good start on a four-game trip after coming into the game on a 3-4 stretch. The Celtics got in front early and never were really threatened the rest of the way.
The short-handed Warriors were down another key player with Draymond Green (calf) joining Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) and Brandon Podziemski (abdominal) on the sideline. They didn’t have nearly enough without those players to keep pace with the defending champions.
Meanwhile in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points — 23 in the second half — and Darius Garland added 16 as the Cavaliers began the season’s unofficial second half by dominating the Phoenix Suns, 118-92, in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.
The Cavs, who opened the season with 15 straight wins, improved the NBA’s best record to 36-6 — tied for the eighth-best start in history. They’re also 21-2 at home and 13-1 against Western Conference teams.
Cleveland had little trouble handling the Suns despite missing three rotational players as forwards Evan Mobley (calf), Isaac Okoro (shoulder) and guard Caris LeVert (wrist) sat out with injuries.
Kevin Durant scored 23 to lead Phoenix, which had won five of six. Devin Booker added 15 — 10 below his average — and had six turnovers.
Suns guard Bradley Beal returned after missing the last two games with left ankle sprain and scored just five points in 25 minutes.
In Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Desmond Bane added 22 points as the Grizzlies used a late rally to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-106.
Jackson, who was 6 of 8 in the final quarter, added 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks for Memphis, which won its third straight. Ja Morant finished with 19 points, despite going 5 of 16 from the field.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 32 points, while Naz Reid finished with 29 points, including 15 in the fourth as Minnesota tried to thwart the Memphis rally. Edwards had a chance to win the game, but his 3-point attempt with Bane and Jackson guarding him was off the mark.
In Houston, Cade Cunningham had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 107-96 win over the Rockets.
Cunningham was 12 of 22 from the field. He scored 19 points in the third quarter as the Pistons built a 90-80 lead after three.
Jalen Duren had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley added 17 points off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who shot 48% and were 10 of 27 on 3-pointers.
In Charlotte, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each scored 23 points and the Hornets held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks, 110-105, to extend their winning streak to a season-high three games.
Nick Smith Jr. added 19 points and Mark Williams overcame foul trouble to finish with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte (11-28).
Kyrie Irving had 33 points and Daniel Gafford added a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks (23-20), who’ve lost four of their last five games.