BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
Brown recorded his eighth consecutive 30-point outing, moving within one game of Larry Bird’s franchise record of nine straight games set during the 1984–85 season. Payton Pritchard added 29 points along with nine rebounds and five assists, while Sam Hauser contributed 23 points off the bench. Derrick White chipped in 21 points, five rebounds and six assists for Boston, which trailed by as many as 15 points in the opening quarter.
Indiana suffered its seventh straight loss and fourth consecutive home defeat, dropping to a league-worst 6–25 record. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 18 points and eight assists but was hampered by five turnovers.
In Atlanta, the Miami Heat pulled away late to beat the Hawks 126–111, snapping a three-game losing streak despite missing Tyler Herro (toe) and Bam Adebayo (lower back soreness).
Norman Powell scored 25 points and Pelle Larsson added a career-high 21. Andrew Wiggins finished with 18 points, while Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 16 apiece. Trae Young led Atlanta with a game-high 30 points, and Jalen Johnson posted 24 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for his 12th straight double-double, the longest streak in the NBA this season. The Hawks have now lost five straight games.
Washington defeated Toronto 138–117 as Kyshawn George scored 23 points, helping the Wizards move ahead of Indiana in the race to avoid the league’s worst record. CJ McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly each added 21 points. Brandon Ingram led Toronto with 29 points in the Raptors’ third loss in four games.
Chicago extended its winning streak to five games with a 109–102 victory over Philadelphia. Coby White scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Zach Collins and Tre Jones added 15 apiece. Joel Embiid finished with 31 points for the 76ers, who shot just 23.8 percent in the final quarter.
Memphis cruised past Milwaukee 125–104 as Jaren Jackson Jr. posted 24 points and five blocks. Ja Morant returned from a four-game absence due to an ankle sprain and recorded 17 points and 10 assists. The Grizzlies have now won eight straight games against the Bucks.
Charlotte defeated Orlando 120–105 but lost rookie Kon Knueppel to a potentially serious ankle injury. LaMelo Ball led seven Hornets in double figures with 22 points. Anthony Black paced the Magic with 24 points.
Devin Booker scored 30 points as Phoenix held off New Orleans 115–108, while James Harden’s 34-point performance led the Clippers past Portland 119–103. Utah edged Detroit 131–129 on a last-second floater by Keyonte George, who finished with 31 points as the Jazz snapped a four-game skid.
