BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Jayson Tatum drained a go-ahead layup then drilled a dagger three-pointer as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 127-120, in overtime on Wednesday, Jan. 10, in a battle of the NBA’s best teams.
A duel between the league’s worst produced its own thrills as San Antonio’s superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama notched his first career triple-double to lead the Spurs to a 130-108 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Tatum scored 26 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and the Celtics improved to 18-0 at home.
“You live for those moments, you want to do whatever you can to help your team win,” Tatum said. “In the back of my mind I didn’t want to lose at home yet.”
Jaylen Brown added 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday scored 12, drilling a three-pointer that put the Celtics up 111-109 with 25.9 seconds left in regulation.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards drained two free throws to tie it and Tatum missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Edwards finished with 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 with 13 rebounds for Western Conference leaders Minnesota, whose 26-11 record is second only to East-leading Boston’s 29-8.
Minnesota cut a 10-point deficit to one at halftime and took the lead on Towns’s three-pointer to open the third quarter. They led 106-97 with 3:35 left in regulation.
In Detroit, French prodigy Wembanyama scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists, notching his first triple-double in just 21 minutes on the floor.
He connected on just six of his 16 shots from the field but made four of five free throws and showed off his sophisticated playmaking skills as he surpassed his previous season high of seven assists.
“He’s a very good passer,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the player who has already displayed outstanding scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking skills in his first season. “He was a good passer before he got here.”
Six days past his 20th birthday, Wembanyama became the fifth-youngest NBA player to post a triple-double — reaching double digits in three key statistical categories.
“It’s beautiful when we play like that as a team and get it all together,” said Wembanyama, who said his 10 assists were the product of cohesive offense by the team against a Detroit defense focused on him.
“My teammates did the right cuts and made the right shots,” he said.
Wembanyama, who played without a turnover, completed his triple-double with his 10th assist, a smooth dish to Doug McDermott who knocked down a three-pointer that made it 109-86 early in the fourth quarter.
“I’m glad I didn’t know,” McDermott said. “I heard the crowd erupt. I assumed it was something Victor did and not something I did.”
Pelicans rout Warriors
In San Francisco, home fans booed the Golden State Warriors as they slumped to a second straight blowout loss, falling 141-105 to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points and Zion Williamson added 19 as eight Pelicans players scored in double figures.
New Orleans made 13 of their 19 three-pointers in the first half on the way to a 73-60 lead at the break and pushed the advantage to as many as 41 in the second half.
“I think we deserved it, for sure,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the jeers. “I think we’re just lacking confidence right now. You get to a stage where you kind of lose your belief.”
The in-form Utah Jazz notched a ninth win in 11 games, dominating the defending champion Denver Nuggets 124-111 in Salt Lake City.
In Charlotte, Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis notched his league-leading 33rd double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds and also added seven assists in the Kings’ 123-98 rout of the Hornets.
In Atlanta, the Hawks outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers 139-132 in a battle of injury-depleted teams.
The 76ers dropped their third straight without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who sat out with a knee injury.
