Nov 27, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) guards Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) during the second half at TD Garden. Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
BOSTON — The Detroit Pistons ended the Boston Celtics’ eight-game home winning streak with a 118-108 victory Monday night in a battle of the teams with the two top records in the Eastern Conference.
Tobias Harris scored 31 points and Andre Drummond posted 26 points, 22 rebounds and six assists as the Pistons went on a late 13-3 run to put the game away, spoiling the start of Boston’s five-game homestand.
It was the first meeting of the teams since the Celtics sent Avery Bradley to Detroit along with a second-round pick in exchange for Marcus Morris during the offseason. Bradley, welcomed back by the TD Garden crowd, and Morris both scored 13 points, Bradley adding five assists.
For Drummond, it was his fourth game of 22 rebounds in 10 career contests in the building. The 22 boards were a season high. Detroit guard Reggie Jackson, who played his college ball at Boston College, had 20 points and seven assists in the win.
Cavaliers 113, 76ers 91
PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James collected 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as Cleveland beat Philadelphia to win its eighth straight.
Dwyane Wade added 15 points off the bench for the Cavs, who owned a 57-30 advantage in bench points and limited the Sixers to 37.5 percent shooting, including 3-for-28 3-point accuracy. Cleveland shot 48.2 percent, including 40.5 percent (15 of 37) from beyond the arc.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia, which saw a three-game winning streak end, with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie sensation Ben Simmons was, however, limited to 10 points and eight rebounds before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle.
Rockets 117, Nets 103
HOUSTON — James Harden produced another breathlessly efficient scoring performance and Houston rode his hot hand to a victory over Brooklyn.
The Rockets extended their winning streak to five games behind Harden, who scored 37 points on 13-for-20 shooting while adding 10 rebounds and eight assists. He poured in 20 points without a miss in the first quarter as Houston took a 21-point lead it did not relinquish.
Clint Capela added 20 points for the Rockets, Ryan Anderson scored 13 and Eric Gordon 12. Chris Paul shot just 1 for 7 but had 14 assists without a turnover, six boards and two steals.
Pacers 121, Magic 109
INDIANAPOLIS — Victor Oladipo scored 26 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 22 as Indiana sent Orlando to its ninth consecutive loss.
Oladipo hit 11 of 14 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers. Indiana’s Myles Turner scored 18 points, and Lance Stephenson matched his season high with 18 off the bench.
The Pacers sank 15 of 26 from 3-point range while the Magic were 16 of 41 on 3-pointers. Jonathon Simmons scored 21 points to lead six players in doubles figures for Orlando. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic each had 16 points. Vucevic added a team-high 12 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 103, Knicks 91
NEW YORK — Damian Lillard had 32 points and Pat Connaughton added 17 as Portland defeated New York.
Kristaps Porzingis returned from a one-game absence and scored 22 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their third consecutive game. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 18 points for New York but shot just 6 of 18 from the field.
New York staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter, cutting Portland’s lead from 26 at the start of the quarter to eight with under a minute left. The Blazers scored just six points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, but New York went just 9 of 23 from the field in the period and was unable to come any closer.
