CELTICS 123, SUNS 103
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Celtics, odds 1.083
Line: Celtics (-15.5), odds 1.913
Total Points: Under (226), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Suns, 12.6%
Celtics, 87.4%
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and hit three 3-pointers and the Boston Celtics broke the NBA record for 3-pointers in a season in a 123-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Boston was 14 of 39 from 3-point range to push its season total to 1,370. Golden State held the previous record with 1,363 in 2022-23.
After having their nine-game winning streak halted in their previous game, the Celtics coasted to the victory.
Jayson Tatum added 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Kristaps Porzingis had 15 points before he walked to the locker room holding a towel to the bridge of his nose early in the final quarter after getting hit by Cody Martin’s elbow while the Suns player was driving to the basket.
Porzingis raised both arms and waved to the crowd as he headed into the tunnel. He returned to the bench late in the game and the team said the cut required stitches.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 37 points. Phoenix has lost five straight.
Boston opened a double-digit edge on Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer early in the second quarter, pushed it to 20 midway into the period and led by 14 at halftime.
Boston beat the Suns by 30 points in Phoenix during a 6-0 trip just over a week ago.
NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night - April 4
KINGS 125, HORNETS 102
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Kings, odds 1.167
Line: Kings (-11.5), odds 1.937
Total Points: Over (216.5), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Kings, 79%
Hornets, 21%
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Zach LaVine had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Domantas Sabonis added 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and the Sacramento Kings rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 125-102 on Friday night to remain in 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
DeMar DeRozan added 22 points to help the Kings win for only the second time in their last nine games.
Sabonis was on pace for his 68th career triple-double before leaving the game with three minutes left in the third quarter after taking a knee to his right thigh. He did not return for his normal rotation in the third quarter with the Kings well in control and the team did not announce any injury.
Miles Bridges had 22 points, and Moussa Diabate added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
The Kings held a 1/2-game lead over Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the play-in tournament entering the game and wasted little time with the injury-riddled Hornets. Sacramento built a 19-point lead at halftime behind Sabonis, who had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists at the break.
PACERS 140, JAZZ 112
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pacers, odds 1.05
Line: Pacers (-17.5), odds 1.901
Total Points: Over (239), odds 1.926
Pre-game Prediction
Jazz, 10.9%
Pacers, 89.1%
INDIANPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner had 26 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 140-112 on Friday night for their third straight victory.
Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and Bennedict Mathurin had 20, going 12 for 16 from the free throw line.
Collin Sexton had 27 points and Johnny Juzang had 17 for Utah.
Turner had four blocks in the decisive third quarter. Siakam had a season-best four blocks and Indiana registered a season-best 17 — two short of the franchise record set in 1979 at Washington.
BULLS 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 113
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Bulls, odds 1.388
Line: Blazers (-6.5), odds 1.906
Total Points: Over (233.5), odds 1.899
Pre-game Prediction
Blazers, 39.4%
Bulls, 60.6%
CHICAGO (AP) — Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each had 31 points, Josh Giddey had a triple-double and the post-season bound Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-113 on Friday night.
Giddey had 15 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season. The Bulls are 10th in the Eastern Conference, the lowest position they can finish.
Deni Avdija led Portland with 37 points. Coming off a victory in Toronto on Thursday night, the Trail Blazers went 2-3 on a five-game trip. They are 12th in the West.
Dalano Banton added 21 points for Portland, and Shaedon Sharpe had 17.
ROCKETS 125, THUNDER 111
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Rockets, odds 2.904
Line: Rockets (+5.5), odds 1.915
Total Points: Over (227.5), odds 1.923
Pre-game Prediction
Thunder, 64.2%
Rockets, 35.8%
HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green had 34 points, Alperen Sengun added 31 and the Houston Rockets snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder's 11-game winning streak with a 125-111 victory Friday night.
Houston, which is second in the Western Conference, improved to 2-3 against the top-seeded Thunder with the win. Oklahoma City lost for the first time since March 10.
The Rockets led by 23 in the first half but the Thunder got within nine on a shot by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with about 7 ½ minutes to go. Green scored five points in a 7-2 run to make it 113-99 midway through the quarter and Oklahoma City didn’t get within single digits again.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 33 points and Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 to reach 20 points for the 70th straight game , moving past Michael Jordan for the fourth-longest single-season streak in NBA history.
The Rockets were up by 12 in the third when they used a 10-2 spurt to extend the lead to 93-73 with 3 minutes left in the quarter. But Gilgeous-Alexander scored eight points in a 12-3 run to end the quarter and cut the lead to 96-85 entering the fourth.
PISTONS 117, RAPTORS 105
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Pistons, odds 1.205
Line: Pistons (-15.5), odds 1.913
Total Points: Under (226.5), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Pistons, 76.6%
Raptors, 23.4%
TORONTO (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 points, Jalen Duren had 21 points and 18 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors 117-105 on Friday night to wrap up their first playoff berth since 2018-19.
Malik Beasley scored 21 points for the Pistons, and Dennis Schroeder added 16.
Detroit won a franchise-worst 14 games last season, enduring an NBA-record 28-game losing streak in the process.
All-Star guard Cade Cunningham remained sidelined because of a bruised left calf, missing his sixth straight game. The Pistons also were without Tobias Harris (right heel).
Ja’Kobe Walter scored 22 points for Toronto. Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead each had 14 as the Raptors lost their third straight.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes (right hand) was not available on the second night of a back-to-back, while RJ Barrett and Ochai Agbaji both sat for rest.
The Raptors lost their 50th game, the eighth time in 30 seasons they’ve lost at least 50. Toronto has lost 50 or more in back-to-back years for the first time since its first three NBA seasons, from 1995-96 to 1997-98.
CAVALIERS 114, SPURS 113
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Cavaliers, odds 1.129
Line: Spurs (+12.5), odds 1.909
Total Points: Under (241.5), odds 1.909
Pre-game Prediction
Cavaliers, 88.4%
Spurs, 11.6%
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Evan Mobley added 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-113 on Friday to move a game away from clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland never trailed and led by 23 points in winning its third straight. The Cavaliers have won six of seven and are a win or a Boston loss from clinching the East's best record for the sixth time in franchise history.
Despite the early dominance, Cleveland had to hold on to beat San Antonio.
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining cut Cleveland’s lead to 114-113.
The 3-pointer came between missed 3-pointers by Mitchell and Darius Garland in the final 43 seconds.
Barnes' layup attempt failed to drop in as time expired to preserve Cleveland's victory.
Devin Vassell had 24 points to lead San Antonio and Barnes added 23.
San Antonio has one home game remaining in a season that began with hope but devolved quickly after Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2 followed by season-ending injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.
LAKERS 124, PELICANS 108
Betting Results:
Head to Head: Lakers, odds 1.071
Line: Lakers (-15.5), odds 1.913
Total Points: Over (223), odds 1.899
Pre-game Prediction
Pelicans, 12.4%
Lakers, 87.6%
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 35 points, Austin Reaves added 30 and LeBron James had 27 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Doncic struggled in a 123-116 loss to Golden State a night earlier, finishing with 19 points on and being exploited several times on the defensive end, but he responded to help the Lakers maintain their grip on third place in the Western Conference ahead of Denver and the Warriors. The Lakers have won three of four.
Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans with 27 points, and Karlo Matkovic had 15. New Orleans dropped its fourth straight on the road.
Alvarado capitalized on a sluggish start by the Lakers, scoring 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to help spot the Pelicans a five-point lead.
But Los Angeles got going in the second quarter to take a 62-53 advantage at the half. Doncic had 11 points in the period and James added 10 as the Lakers made all nine of their shots from inside the 3-point line.
