Celtics 107 (10-2), Lakers 96 (5-6)
That 0-2 start for the Celtics seems so long ago. Boston won its 10th straight game despite playing shorthanded — Al Horford missed the game and is in concussion protocol, and Jayson Tatum left in the first half with an apparent ankle injury. In their absence, Aron Baynes stepped up, leading the Celtics with 21 points, while Kyrie Irving had 19. The Celtics shot just 39 percent for the game and 24 percent from three, but forced 21 Laker turnovers. Brandon Ingram had 18 points and seven rebounds for LA, but Lonzo Ball struggled again, scoring nine points on just 4-15 shooting.
The Celtics welcomed Paul Pierce back to Boston with a video tribute in the first quarter. The team will retire his jersey in February.
When Kyrie does this, what more can defenses do? pic.twitter.com/zws7xfSGts
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 9, 2017
Magic 112 (7-4), Knicks 99 (6-5)
The Knicks, playing the second day of a back-to-back, were without Kristaps Porzingis, as the Magic pulled away in the fourth quarter to snap a two-game skid. Elfrid Payton returned to the lineup for Orlando after sitting out the last eight games, and made his presence felt to the tune of 11 points and 11 assists. Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, and Nikola Vucevic all had 20-plus-point games, while Tim Hardaway Jr led all scorers with 26. The Knicks, however, committed 23 turnovers.
We missed this. ☺️ pic.twitter.com/fcisichpFd
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 9, 2017
Pistons 114 (8-3), Pacers 97 (5-7)
Andre Drummond did what he does best, scoring 14 points and grabbing 21 rebounds to lead the Pistons to their sixth win in seven games. Detroit outscored the Pacers by 15 in the second quarter to lead by seven at the half. The Pistons took control of the game in the third quarter with a 13-0 run which sent the Pacers spiraling to their fourth straight loss. Victor Oladipo had 21 to lead the Pacers, while Tobias Harris had 23 points to lead all scorers and shot 5-9 from three.
The pass 👌
The finish 👀
(via @DetroitPistons) pic.twitter.com/U1JrbKw5RV— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) November 9, 2017
Heat 126 (5-6), Suns 115 (4-8)
Goran Dragic had 29 points and the Heat never trailed, pulling out an 11-point road win. But that’s not to say that Miami coasted. The Heat led by just eight heading into the fourth quarter and gained some breathing room by opening the final period with seven unanswered points. Miami shot 53 percent for the game and scored a season-high 69 points in the first half. Devin Booker had 30 points in the loss to lead all scorers.
Warriors 125 (9-3), Timberwolves 101 (7-4)
The Warriors, playing without Kevin Durant, outscored the Timberwolves by 18 in the third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable victory. This was Golden State’s fifth consecutive win and its second in a four-game home-stand. The Warriors shot 57 percent for the game and made 15 threes with Klay Thompson leading the way (28 points, 6-12 3PT). Andrew Wiggins had 17 for the Timberwolves, who shot just 5-24 from three.
Fly like a bird pic.twitter.com/DrJfNVi7DY
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) November 9, 2017
