Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 135-95 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday.

Georges Niang shot 13 of 14 from the field and scored a career-high 33 points as the Cavaliers won their sixth straight and improved to 11-3 since they lost Darius Garland (broken jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery) with injuries last month.

Antetokounmpo sat with a bruised right shoulder, an injury that sidelined him for the first time since Nov. 15.

Jarrett Allen notched his 10th consecutive double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which completed a perfect six-game homestand and now plays the next four on the road.

Damian Lillard led Milwaukee with 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting and Khris Middleton scored two points on 1 of 10 from the field.

Doncic shines in return but Davis, Russell lift Lakers

Anthony Davis came up an assist shy of a triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Luka Dončić’s triple-double in a 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Davis had 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting with 12 rebounds and nine assists, while D’Angelo Russell added 29 points with five 3-pointers.

LeBron James had 25 points, eight boards and eight assists as the Lakers won for the fourth time in six games.

Doncic had 33 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season after missing three games with a sprained right ankle.

Celtics handle Spurs

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown returned from a one-game absence with 21 as the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 117-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Jrue Holiday added 22 points and hit 6 of 7 from 3-point range as Boston improved to 20-0 at home, extending the franchise record.

Brown returned after sitting out a 105-96 victory over Toronto on Monday due to a hyperextended right knee. The Celtics played without Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and Derrick White (left ankle sprain).

Victor Wembanyama scored 10 of his 27 points in the first quarter and Devin Vassell had 21 for the Western Conference-worst Spurs, who dropped their third straight since winning two in a row.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic has died at the age of 46.

The NBA club said the Serbian suffered a heart attack at a private team dinner.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” head coach Steve Kerr told the Warriors’ website.

“This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.

“In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy.

“We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”

Milojevic was in his third season on the Warriors’ coaching team and helped guide them to the 2022 NBA Championship. He had previously been a star player for Serbia and assistant coach to the national team.

Warriors posted on X, formerly Twitter: “We are absolutely devastated by Dejan Milojević’s sudden passing.

“This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.

“We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa.”

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack. He was 46.

The NBA postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Warriors and Utah Jazz earlier in the day after Golden State said Milojevic was in the hospital after suffering a medical emergency at a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," the Warriors said Wednesday in a statement.

"This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”

Milojevic played professionally in Europe from 1994-2009, winning the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player Award three years in a row (2004-06).

He became a head coach in his native Serbia from 2012-20 and in Montenegro in 2021.

Milojevic joined Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s staff in August 2021 and went on to help the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.

The Indiana Pacers are acquiring Pascal Siakam in a trade with the Toronto Raptors.

As part of the deal, which was reported Wednesday by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers are sending Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks to the Raptors in exchange for Siakam.

A third team in the trade, the New Orleans Pelicans, are swapping second-round picks with Indiana and shipping Kira Lewis to Toronto.

Siakam led the Raptors in scoring this season with an average of 22.2 points per game, along with averages of 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Siakam joins a Pacers team that averages a league-high 125.6 points per game and will play alongside All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

With a 23-17 record, Indiana sits in third place in the Central Division and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference as it looks to make the play-offs for the first time since 2020. 

A two-time All-NBA selection, Siakam had spent his first eight NBA seasons in Toronto and helped the Raptors win the NBA title in 2018-19.

Drafted 27th overall by the Raptors in 2016, the 29-year-old was named an All-Star in 2019-20, as well as last season, when he averaged a career-best 24.2 points.

Siakam is set to become a free agent this summer, and the Pacers are reportedly expected to re-sign him. He becomes eligible to sign a five-year deal that could pay him as much as $247million.

This is the second big trade in the last three weeks for the rebuilding Raptors, who sent OG Anunoby and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks on December 30.

The NBA has postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Warriors and Utah Jazz after Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic suffered a medical emergency at a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.

The Warriors did not provide any details on the emergency, but multiple reports said the 46-year-old Milojevic had a cardiac event.

Milojevic played professionally in Europe from 1994-2009, winning the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player Award three years in a row (2004-06).

He became a head coach in his native Serbia from 2012-20 and in Montenegro in 2021.

Milojevic joined Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s staff in August 2021 and went on to help the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.

James Harden is wholly satisfied with life at the Los Angeles Clippers and is hoping to see the key players in the team stick together in the coming seasons.

The Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-117 on Tuesday, winning nine of their last 11 games.

Paul George scored a season-high 38 points, while Harden and Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 16 points each.

Leonard this month signed a new three-year contract, reportedly worth $153million. However, that is less than he would have been eligible for, and Leonard claimed he took a lower offer in order to help the Clippers keep their other stars, like Harden and George.

For his part, Harden is extremely happy with his new team, and like Leonard, hopes to keep the core of the side together for years to come.

"I thought the same thing last year, last team I was on," Harden said when asked if he would like to see out his playing days with the Clippers. "That's why I did all those sacrifices.

"But I'm here, home. We have an opportunity. I want to be able to keep the core together for a few years and I haven't had those opportunities the last few years. So things are going well and I'm happy."

Leonard believes the majority of the Clippers lineup are planning on staying with the team next season.

"With the conversation that I have with them about it, I think for the most part everybody is coming back," he said.

"So with me signing an extension, I think it gives us a chance to sign both of those players."

The Clippers sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 26-14 record.

They found themselves 79-77 down at the end of the third quarter against the Thunder, but they lodged a comeback in the fourth.

Coach Tyronn Lue said: "We responded well. To hold onto the lead and make our own run says a lot about our team."

Nikola Jokic lauded Joel Embiid's "historic" form after the reigning NBA MVP came out on top in Tuesday's matchup between the two superstars.

Embiid finished with 41 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, scoring 10 consecutive points in a crucial fourth-quarter run as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 126-121.

Jokic, the reigning NBA Finals MVP and two-time league MVP, scored 24 points and had 19 rebounds and three assists.

Embiid was unable to extend his 16-game streak of having at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, though only Wilt Chamberlain has had a longer such run in NBA history.

"He's a really good player," Jokic said of Embiid.

"He's playing historic right now. He's averaging 30-something points every night, and that's extremely hard to do, especially every night.

"But I mean, I'm not playing against him. I'm playing against Philadelphia. It was a good matchup."

Embiid returned the compliment Jokic's way, saying: "Both of us, we just want to play basketball and win some games.

"He deserves [the title of best player] until you knock him [off]. He's the Finals MVP. Until someone else takes that away, then you can claim that."

Not that Embiid is lacking self-confidence.

"But then again, I also believe in myself," he added with a smile. "I'll keep it at that. I've just got to get there.

"I don't think I care what people decide who's the best. I know I want to be the best, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to be the best.

"But sometimes you've got to be able to win as a team. You've got to do the best job possible to make sure that you put yourself and the team in the best position possible to win. And it seems like if you want to be the best, you've got to find a way to win. So, that's my goal."

The Sixers have won their last three games. They sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 26-13 record, behind the Milwaukee Bucks (28-12) and the Boston Celtics (31-9).

"I said it at the beginning of the season. Y'all keep talking about Boston, Milwaukee. That's fine. They might be better than us, they might be more talented than us, but I still believe we've got a chance. We just need a little bit of luck," Embiid said.

"Like I always say, we've got to be perfect. We've got to be in sync together. We've got to play with each other. It's been working pretty well this year."

Embiid's teammate Tobias Harris, who added 24 points to the Sixers' tally, added: "It was a big game for us – playing the defending champs – we wanted to see where we were at.

"We've just got to stay at it, and keep working."

Asked about playing alongside Embiid and against Jokic, Harris said: "Both of those guys are just stellar basketball players. The way they handle their business on a court, there's a reason why [the Nuggets] won a Championship last year and Joel's put in tremendous work all year."

The Nuggets have been inconsistent after going on a six-game winning streak in December, losing four of their nine outings since then.

Coach Michael Malone, though, did not seem overly concerned about Tuesday's defeat.

"This was a game that went down to the wire," he said. 

"We came up short. Joel [Embiid] is a hell of a talent."

Joel Embiid had 41 points and 10 rebounds and got the best of fellow superstar Nikola Jokić in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 126-121 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

In a matchup of the last two NBA MVPs, Embiid had his 18th straight 30-point game, tying Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for the sixth-longest streak in NBA history.

Jokic had 25 points and 19 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards.

Embiid converted a 3-point play with 5:30 remaining to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 118-113 and followed with his third 3-pointer of the game for an eight-point advantage.

Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and Tobias Harris added 24 for the 76ers, who have won three straight after a three-game skid.

Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and Jamal Murray finished with 17 and 10 assists for the Nuggets.

Suns stun Kings with furious comeback

Kevin Durant made two free throws with 1.8 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns stunned the Sacramento Kings with a game-ending 23-4 run in a 119-117 victory.

Grayson Allen matched a franchise record with 9 3-pointers and scored 29 points for the Suns, who faced a 113-96 deficit with just over five minutes to play.

Allen sparked the run with a 3-pointer and Durant hit a pair from deep before Eric Gordon drained consecutive 3-pointers to forge a 115-all tie.

Durant’s free throws with 30 seconds to play put the Suns ahead 117-115 but De’Aaron Fox tied it with a jumper with 19 seconds remaining. But he then fouled Durant, who was attempting a long jumper.

Domantas Sabonis notched his 11th triple-double of the season with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for Sacramento.

George scores 38 in Clippers’ win

Paul George scored 18 of his season-high 38 points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-117 for their ninth win in 11 games.

Kawhi Leonard each added 16 points and Mason Plumlee had a season-best 14 in his first start of the season for the Clippers, who won their sixth straight at home.

Jalen Williams scored 25 points and Lu Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 19 apiece as Oklahoma City dropped its second in a row after a 9-3 stretch.

Draymond Green enjoyed his return to action for the Golden State Warriors, and is now looking to add "spark to this team".

Green returned from an indefinite suspension for a history of misconduct in the Warriors' clash with the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

After missing the last 16 games, Green came onto the court to a chorus of boos from the Grizzlies fans during the first quarter.

He scored two 3-pointers and finished with seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes on the court, but the Warriors lost 116-107.

"It was fun being back on the court," Green said.

"Getting the chance to play basketball, that's always fun. It was a little weird going out of the tunnel to go shoot and do my pregame, but after that it just settled down.

"I think [the minutes] will go up pretty fast, but until it does I will try to be the best I can be in the minutes I have and bring a spark to this team."

The Grizzlies were short-handed, with Ja Morant out for the rest of the season and Desmond Bane set to miss up to six weeks due to an ankle injury.

Yet the Warriors could not get the better of their hosts as they slumped to an eighth defeat in the space of 11 games.

"Their game plan was pretty simple. Shoot as many 3s as possible and get into transition as often as possible," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, whose team are 12th in the Western Conference.

"Then for us to foul 25 times to their 21, that's really the story. They gained belief as they went.

"All of these guys are in the NBA. We tell them that before every game like this. These guys are in the NBA for a reason.

"They knew they had to do that and we knew they had to do that. We didn't play the game that could keep them from doing that."

Green did not hold back in his thoughts on the Warrior's defense.

"Individuals make up a team. Individually our defense sucks, so in turn our team defense sucks," he said.

"If we've got guys that will take pride in themselves and play defense, one through however many guys we have, then it is solvable. If guys won't take pride in defense, then it's not. It's very simple."

Joel Embiid is simply focusing on staying healthy rather than paying too much attention to his chances of picking up a second MVP Award.

Embiid has played 28 times for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and returned from his latest injury layoff to finish with 41 points and 10 rebounds in a 124-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

That was Embiid's seventh 40-point double-double of the season, and he now has 42 games of at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, the seventh-highest tally in the history of the league.

However, the reigning league MVP can miss only eight of the remaining 44 regular-season games if he is to be considered for the award this time around.

Embiid, though, suggested that is not his main concern.

"It doesn't matter how many games I play; the goal is to be healthy the rest of the year," Embiid said Monday.

"I've already done it. If I have a chance to get a second one, I'll do it. I'm not going to force myself or push for it.

"My game is always going to speak for itself. We're winning. That's the main thing. We've got to keep winning and you put in the stats to be in the [MVP] conversation that's great, too.

"But at the end of the day, if there's something going on, and I can't meet the requirement for the amount of games played to qualify for that, then so be it."

Philadelphia have won just three games without Embiid this season, losing seven. They are 22-6 with him in the team.

His latest issue concerns a knee problem, but Embiid hopes he is over the worst of it.

"We look at the long run and what's coming up next," Embiid said.

"Hopefully it doesn't swell up again."

Next up for the 76ers is a clash with Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

"They're best team in the league, best player in the league and we've got to try and do our best to get a win," Embiid said.

"It's fun. I like the competition. Who doesn't want to play against the best?"

The Memphis Grizzlies got career-best scoring performances from Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson to overcome a slew of injured players and spoil Draymond Green's return to the Golden State Warriors' lineup in Monday's 116-107 win.

Williams amassed 24 points and seven rebounds and Jackson contributed 23 points off the bench on a night Memphis was without three of its top four scorers for the season in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart.

Both players recorded eight fourth-quarter points as the Grizzlies pulled away late to halt a two-game losing streak and hand the reeling Warriors an eighth loss in 11 games.

Green had seven points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes in his first appearance in just over a month. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year had just completed serving an indefinite NBA suspension for striking Phoenix Suns centre Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Dec. 12.

The Warriors owned a 91-90 lead following Stephen Curry's go-ahead 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but Memphis responded with a 16-5 run to break the game open. 

Jackson, who finished 5 of 8 from 3-point range, had two triples during the surge, which Luke Kennard capped with a 3-pointer to give the Grizzlies a 106-96 advantage with 7:20 left.

Golden State never got closer than seven points behind the rest of the way.

Curry led the Warriors with 26 points and Jonathan Kuminga delivered 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Mavericks down rival Pelicans behind big games from Irving, Hardaway

Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. each eclipsed the 40-point mark while rallying the Dallas Mavericks to a 125-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, a win that created a two-way tie atop the Southwest Division between the teams.

The Mavericks overcame a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter and another absence from superstar Luka Dončić to avenge Saturday’s 118-110 home loss to the Pelicans.

Irving and Hardaway more than made up for Doncic missing a third straight game with a sprained ankle. Irving scored 24 of his 42 points in the second half, while Hardaway had 11 of his season-high 41 points during a fourth quarter in which Dallas outscored New Orleans by a 33-21 margin.

The Pelicans held a 111-104 lead with seven minutes left before Dallas took control with a 17-4 run. Hardaway hit back-to-back 3-pointers during the pivotal spurt, the second of which gave the Mavericks a 112-111 edge with 4:16 remaining.

Jalen Green’s 3-pointer with 1:27 left to play extended Dallas’ advantage to 121-115, though New Orleans answered with five straight points to cut its deficit to one with 17.7 seconds remaining.

Irving then hit two free throws on the ensuing possession, and after the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram missed a potential game-tying 3-point attempt, Maxi Kleber made two foul shots to seal the win and pull Dallas even with New Orleans in the standings.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 30 points and CJ McCollum had 23 in the loss, though Ingram went just 3 of 14 from the field while finishing with 12 points.

Jazz extend winning streak with rout of Pacers

Lauri Markkanen put up 32 points and 10 rebounds as the resurgent Utah Jazz continued their recent winning ways with a 132-105 rout of the short-handed Indiana Pacers.

The Jazz cruised to their sixth consecutive victory behind the hot shooting of Markkanen and Collin Sexton, who went 11 of 17 from the field while scoring a season-high 30 points to go along with five assists. Markkanen made 10 of 15 field goal attempts and was a perfect 10 for 10 from the foul line.

After getting off to a 7-16 start, Utah has won 15 of its last 19 games to move up to ninth place in the Western Conference.

The Pacers lost their second in a row while playing a fourth straight game without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, out with a hamstring injury. Indiana was also without two other key contributors in guard Bruce Brown and 3-point specialist Aaron Nesmith due to injuries.

Indiana's depleted lineup proved to be no match, as the Jazz took a 33-26 lead after one quarter and increased it to 64-50 at half-time behind 17 points from Sexton and 15 from Markkanen.

Utah maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, with its lead swelling to 29 points in the final stages.

Buddy Hield and Andrew Nembhard each had 14 points to lead Indiana.

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown used a laptop to help demonstrate what he feels are calls to have gone against his team from the NBA officials.

Brown was ejected after he stormed onto the court to confront referee Intae Hwang during the fourth quarter of the Kings' 143-142 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

The Kings have lost three of their last five games, but coach Brown was not willing to let his team take full accountability for the loss to the Bucks.

Instead, during his postgame news conference, Brown wheeled out the technology to show what he believes were inconsistent calls from the referee.

"The referees are human, and they're going to make mistakes, but you just hope that there's some sort of consistency and there's some sort of communication between the refs," Brown said.

"The refs tonight, they were great, they communicated with me all night. But in terms of consistency, you guys saw it right here. In my opinion, the consistency wasn't here tonight.

"We had a chance to win the game and we didn't get it done," Brown said. "But I'm telling you, man, to go through [the inconsistency in calls], it's tough, man. It's tough to go through that."

Despite Brown's ejection, the Kings came back from 12 points behind to force overtime, in which they went ahead, only to be condemned to a defeat by Damian Lillard's long 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said: "It was like we had the game and they stole it from us and we took it back at the end.

"When they went up six, it would have been easy for us to throw in the towel, but those guys are resilient. Probably one of our best wins of the season."

The Bucks look to be back on form after a slump earlier in January, and have now won their last three games. They sit second in the Eastern Conference, with the Kings sixth in the West.

Damian Lillard's long 3-pointer just before the buzzer capped a remarkable rally in the final seconds of overtime for the Milwaukee Bucks, who came through with a thrilling 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

The Bucks trailed 141-137 with under 30 seconds left in overtime before pulling out a third straight victory on late 3-pointers by Brook Lopez and Lillard, who scored nine of his 29 points in extra time and added eight assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, while Malik Beasley went 5 of 9 from 3-point range while finishing with 23 points and Bobby Portis contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. 

Sacramento put forth quite a comeback of its own before being dealt a second straight loss, as the Kings overcame a 12-point deficit with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Kevin Huerter led the Kings' comeback by scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Sacramento also received a 21-point, 13-rebound, 15-assist triple-double from Domantas Sabonis while getting 32 and 28 points from De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, respectively. 

Huerter buried a go-ahead 3-pointer and Monk followed with a jumper to give Sacramento a 141-137 lead with 33.9 seconds left in overtime. Monk missed two free throws on the Kings' next possession, however, and Lopez made them pay by sinking a corner 3 with 11.5 seconds remaining to cut the margin to one.

After Fox made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Kings up 142-140, Lillard dribbled past half-court and knocked home a 32-foot shot as time expired.

Milwaukee held a seemingly comfortable 113-101 lead with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the Kings gradually closed the gap and forced overtime when Fox drove the lane and scored with one second remaining to create a 128-128 tie.

Edwards sparks rally as Timberwolves hold off Clippers

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and led a second-half surge that propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in a clash of Western Conference division leaders.

Edwards recorded 20 of his points in the third quarter and added nine rebounds and six assists to help the Northwest Division leaders to a second straight victory. The win put the Timberwolves a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in both the division and the West.

Minnesota outscored the Clippers by a 35-23 margin in the third quarter to take an 81-63 lead into the fourth, though Los Angeles cut an 11-point deficit down to three with an 8-0 run that trimmed the Timberwolves' advantage to 103-100 entering the final minute.

Rudy Gobert and Edwards combined to go 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the closing stages, however, to keep the Clippers at bay.

Gobert ended with 15 points along with a game-high 18 rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Pacific-leading Los Angeles, which lost for just the second time in 10 games. Norman Powell had 24 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting, but Paul George struggled to a 5-of-19 shooting night while finishing with 16 points in the loss..

Jokic just misses triple-double, leads Nuggets past Pacers

Nikola Jokić finished just shy of another triple-double and was one of four Denver starters with at least 20 points as the Nuggets posted a 117-109 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Jokic compiled 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists to narrowly miss extending his league-leading triple-double total to 13. 

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. also had 25 points in the defending NBA champions' second straight victory, while Aaron Gordon recorded 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with 10 rebounds.

Denver went ahead to stay after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer that snapped a 71-71 tie midway through the third quarter. The Nuggets gradually extended the margin the rest of the way, and eventually went up comfortably when Jokic followed a Porter 3-pointer by tipping in Murray's missed shot with 3:16 remaining that increased their lead to 109-97.

Indiana, playing a third straight game without injured leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, was led by former Nugget Bruce Brown's 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Pacers had won their first two games since Haliburton strained his hamstring on Jan. 8 and three straight overall. 

The worst two teams in the Eastern Conference pulled off a trade Sunday, as the Washington Wizards acquired Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Livers and two second-round draft picks from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Washington (7-31) will receive second-round picks in 2025 and 2026 from Detroit (3-36).

Bagley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is averaging 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 26 games this season. Livers has appeared in 23 games and is averaging 5.0 points and 2.1 boards.

Gallinari is averaging 7.0 points and just 14.8 minutes in 26 games per game after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Muscala hasn’t played much either, averaging 4.0 points and 14.1 minutes in 24 contests.

The trade comes one day before the Wizards host the Pistons as part of the NBA’s annual tradition of honouring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Jayson Tatum had no regrets after being ejected for the second time in six weeks on Saturday, being pulled up for back-to-back technical fouls as the Boston Celtics crushed the Houston Rockets.

Tatum had 27 points and eight assists in support of Jaylen Brown's 32 points as the Celtics stayed perfect at home, claiming a 145-113 victory over their former coach Ime Udoka and the Rockets.

League-leading Boston are now up to 30-9 and are 19-0 at TD Garden, having never previously started a season with more than 17 straight home wins.

The game ended on a slightly sour note for the Celtics, though, as Tatum was removed for two technicals in quick succession. 

Having received his first for complaining about a non-call when his arm was clearly struck during an attempted dunk with just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Tatum continued to berate the officials then shouted at referee CJ Washington after being ejected.

Tatum has no regrets over his behaviour, however, suggesting he chose the right moment to air his grievances as Boston closed in on a blowout win.

"I'm a pretty self-aware person. I understand the time and score of the game, Tatum said. "The game was pretty much over. I've got to stand up for myself. I was frustrated. 

"At some point throughout the course of the night, you've got to stand up for yourself. This is not something I do every game or every night. Tonight, I just had to let them know how I felt.”

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla echoed those sentiments, saying: "In the NBA you have that space of having to defend yourself, and for me having to defend my guys. 

"There's a time and a place for everything, and you've just got to pick and choose your spots."

Asked about the non-call which led to Tatum's first technical, Mazzulla said: "When it comes to stuff like that, I try not to have an opinion."

Saturday's win – Boston's 10th in their last 13 games – came just 48 hours after a 33-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, and Brown recognised the importance of bouncing back.

"Last game we didn't feel like we were at our best," Brown said. "Today we wanted to come out and make sure we stayed undefeated on our home court."