ATLANTA — The Hawks continued their torrid stretch on Monday night, routing the Orlando Magic 130-101 at State Farm Arena for their 17th victory in the past 19 games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker poured in 32 points, while Jalen Johnson supplied 18 points and 14 rebounds, falling two assists shy of a triple-double. Rookie Dyson Daniels added 15 points and 13 boards as Atlanta shot 51 percent and dominated the glass 52-36. A 47-point second quarter gave the Hawks control for good, sealing a season sweep of Orlando and extending their lead atop the Southeast Division to 3.5 games.
Celtics
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 43 points and Jayson Tatum collected his first triple-double of the season with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, guiding the Celtics past the Miami Heat 147-129 at TD Garden. Boston erupted for 53 points in the opening quarter—a franchise record and tied for the second-highest first-quarter total in NBA history—after making 11 of its first 13 shots and closing the period on a 24-3 run. Sam Hauser chipped in 23 points, and the victory moved the Celtics to 31-0 this season when they score at least 117 points.
Raptors
TORONTO — The Raptors lost ground in the Eastern Conference race, falling 123-115 to the Sacramento Kings at Scotiabank Arena and snapping a five-game home winning streak. RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles each finished with 20 points, with Murray-Boyles reaching the 20-point mark for the first time in his career. Jakob Poeltl supplied 18 points, while Scottie Barnes tallied 14 points and 10 assists. The setback left Toronto tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for sixth place in the East, with Philadelphia holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Source: Hoops Wire
