Jayson Tatum recorded his 17th double-double of the season as the short-handed Boston Celtics won 109-98 over the Brooklyn Nets in their first game with the injured Kevin Durant on Thursday.
Tatum top scored for Boston with 20 points on seven-of-22 shooting from the field, making two-of-10 from three-point range, with 11 rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics small forward notched his fifth assist with a pass for Derrick White's three-pointer with 1:12 remaining in the fourth to put the dagger in and seal the win.
The victory is Boston's fifth straight win, while it improves their NBA-best road record to 14-7.
The Celtics are 7-0 from the second game of back-to-backs this season, and they achieved that without Jaylen Brown (adductor) who had scored 41 on Wednesday.
Marcus Short added 16 points, while White drained four triples in his 15-point haul. Malcolm Brogdon contributed 16 off the bench.
Kyrie Irving had a game-high 24 points for the Nets, who went 5-16 without Durant during a month-and-a-half stint on the sidelines last season.
Ben Simmons scored zero points from three shots, marking his second scoreless game of his season and career. However, he did have a season-high 13 assists, while T.J. Warren scored 20 points off the bench.
Giddey up as OKC down 76ers
James Harden recorded 15 assists for the sixth time this season but the Philadelphia 76ers were beaten 133-114 at home by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his outstanding season with 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Josh Giddey added 20 points and eight assists for OKC, who fought back from a third-quarter deficit to lead by 16 at the final change.
Harden had 24 points with six rebounds and 15 assists, with Joel Embiid scoring 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds.
Doncic triple-double in Mavs' 2OT win
Luka Doncic scored game-tying three-pointers at the end of regulation and the first overtime before the Dallas Mavericks triumphed 119-115 in a physical double OT clash over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic, who went 16 minutes without a basket at one point, finished the game with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, while Christian Wood came up clutch protecting the rim late with 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
LeBron James tried valiantly for the Lakers with 24 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists with two steals, while Russell Westbrook added 28 points off the bench, including two crucial free-throws at the end of regulation .
Man City striker compared to Haaland 'can be best in the world', says team-mate
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has already prompted comparisons to Erling Haaland for her goalscoring exploits, and a Manchester City team-mate believes she can be the world's best player.
Jamaica striker Shaw has scored 26 goals in 23 games in all competitions for City this season, including 15 in 15 in the Women's Super League.
The 26-year-old has averaged a goal every 86 minutes in the league – not quite on par with men's star Haaland, who has scored every 76 minutes in the Premier League, but close enough for onlookers to note the similarities.
City manager Gareth Taylor did not shy away from comparisons between the "pretty remarkable" pair last week, explaining how both are "so mentally strong".
It is that quality that might yet make Shaw the world's best, with England defender Alex Greenwood backing her City colleague.
"I'm not surprised she's doing what she is doing, and she still has so many levels to go to, which is quite frightening to be honest," Greenwood told BBC Sport.
"I think she can be the best in the world if she wants to be. She has all the attributes to be the best in the world.
"I know how hard she works in training. It's the reason she's flourishing right now.
"She's been really strong for us, so we just need to keep feeding her, keep giving her the ball, and the rest she'll take care of."
Schroder hails Walker impact as Lakers finally reach .500
Dennis Schroder said the Los Angeles Lakers were grateful to Lonnie Walker IV for inspiring the win that finally took them to .500 for the season and vowed "we're still not finished".
Walker contributed 20 points off the bench in Friday's 116-111 triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers, who started the season 2-10, consequently reached the .500 mark after 74 games, representing the first time in over 400 days (January 25, 2022) they have been at that mark.
According to ESPN, it marks the latest a team has reached .500 for the first time in a season since the 2003-04 Miami Heat, who did so after 78 games.
After the win, Schroder hailed Walker's impact, saying: "He's the guy who won us the game, it's that simple.
"Everybody thanked him for that tonight. This is his win."
Of reaching .500, he added: "Big accomplishment, but we're still not finished."
Those sentiments were echoed by Anthony Davis, who said now is the time to really push on.
"We got to .500, now it's time to get on the other side and have more wins than losses," said Davis, who had 37 points and 15 rebounds.
"So it starts Sunday. We got an opportunity to be a game above .500 against a good Bulls team."
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said: "Now it's time. Instead of constantly facing a deficit, we get to try to create a surplus, create a cushion between the wins and losses.
"So, the guys are excited about that."
March Madness: 'Fearless' SDSU follow Muhammad Ali mantra to upset Alabama
San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher hailed his "fearless" team as they defeated Alabama to book his first trip to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament.
Dutcher is one of six coaches set for an Elite Eight debut this year, the most in a single season since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
None of the other five reached this stage in as spectacular fashion as Dutcher, however, as SDSU upset the number one overall seed 71-64 on Friday.
And Dutcher had a sporting great on his mind as he inspired his players in their unlikely win.
"I just tell the guys: nothing is going to be easy, so just keep playing our brand of basketball, keep doing your best, stay competitive," the coach said.
"And I'm using Muhammad Ali quotes because we're Louisville.
"We talked about confidence, and the key to confidence is being fearless, and I thought we were fearless tonight."
Dutcher does not want this to be the end of SDSU's run, though, adding: "When we recruit, we say our goal is to win a national championship, so we can't act surprised when we have an opportunity to advance to the Final Four.
"It's not just words we use to get them to come here. It's words we believe in."
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Alabama coach Nate Oats attempted to focus on the positives of the past year.
"I'll say it's one of the most memorable seasons ever," he said. "It's not easy to win the regular season, the SEC tournament in the same year and make a Sweet 16 run.
"It's a great group that really loves each other.They're going to be close for life, most of them.
"I love the group, they love each other, and it's just really disappointing that it's ending early.
"But I think it's one of the most memorable seasons in Alabama history, and they can walk out of here with their heads up."
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