Boston Celtics breeze past slumping Detroit Pistons

LOS ANGELES, USA (UPDATED)  – The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics avenged a November loss to Detroit on Sunday, December 10, handing the slumping Pistons a 6th straight NBA defeat 91-81.

Al Horford scored 18 points, handed out 6 assists and pulled down 9 rebounds for the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving, able to play without the protective mask he had worn since suffering a facial fracture on November 10, added 16 points and Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown chipped in 12 apiece for Boston, who were beaten on their home court by the Pistons on Monday, November 27.

Detroit scored a season-low in points and shot a season-worst 33.3% from the field, connecting on just 28 of their 84 attempts.

The Pistons’ skid is their longest since they dropped 10 straight in February and March of 2015.

In addition to avenging last month’s defeat, the Celtics bounced back from a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, December 8 – when Argentinian veteran Manu Ginobili drained a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play that gave the Spurs a 105-102 win.

But the Celtics didn’t make it easy on themselves.

Up by 16 with less than 9 minutes to play, Boston saw the Pistons score 12 straight points to close the gap.

Brown, Horford and rookie Jason Tatum scored on 3 of the Celtics’ next 4 possessions, however, to rebuild Boston’s lead. Boston is to complete a back-to-back against the Bulls in Chicago on Monday, December 11.

Prior to the game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens addressed the possibility that Gordon Hayward, who suffered a grisly broken leg and dislocated left ankle in a season-opening loss at Cleveland, might return this season.

“We’re not planning on him,” Stevens said, adding that the team’s goal is for Hayward to be “fully healthy” when he returns.

Even so, Stevens was heartened by Hayward’s comments to the Boston Globe saying he hadn’t given up on the idea of returning this season.

“It’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Hayward told the newspaper, although he added: “Coming back early and hurting something else is not part of that plan. So I’m making sure that if I come back, I’m 1,000 percent confident in myself and my leg.”

Oladipo on fire

In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo poured in a career-high 47 points to lead the Pacers to a 126-116 overtime triumph over the Denver Nuggets.

His electrifying performance had chants of “M-V-P” ringing around Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but Oladipo isn’t the kind of player to let the admiration go to his head.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “I’m trying to be great. There’s no in between, and I can’t settle for anything less.”

The Pacers scored the last 8 points in regulation to tie it. Oladipo’s driving layup sliced the deficit to 114-112 with 55 seconds remaining.

After an Oladipo miss, Thaddeus made the put-back basket to tie it at 114-114 with 5.5 seconds left. Denver’s Will Barton had a chance to win it but missed at the buzzer.

The Pacers dominated overtime 12-2 – Oladipo delivering 6 points in the extra period.

“The biggest thing in the overtime is we got stops,” Oladipo said after the Pacers won their fourth straight. “That’s what won the game.”

Raptors rolling

The Toronto Raptors posted their 6th straight win with a 102-87 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.

The Raptors now boast the 3rd-best record in the East, but coach Dwane Casey saw plenty of room for improvement after his team squandered an early 15-point lead before taking control for good in the 3rd period.

“Consistency is something we’re fighting for,” Casey said. “We’re trying to scratch at it.”

Maybe so, but the Raptors are averaging 117 points per game during their winning streak, and have scored more than 100 in 12 straight.

“I don’t think our coach is ever happy,” guard Kyle Lowry quipped. “But the thing about our coach is that he’s always hard on us. He wants us to be a championship-caliber team.”

In New Orleans, the Pelicans used an 18-4 4th quarter scoring run to rally past the Philadelphia 76ers 131-124.

The Pelicans had led by 11 at halftime, but the 76ers roared back with a 40-point 3rd quarter and the visitors were up 103-96 with less than 10 minutes to play.

Jrue Holiday made 3 three-pointers in the Pelicans’ decisive run, finishing with 34 points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks for the 3rd time this season, hanging on for a 97-92 win in Minneapolis.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who consolidated their fourth place in the West. – Rappler.com