Tatum scores 34 as Celtics hold off Spurs

LOS ANGELES

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, including a go-ahead basket with 33.7 seconds remaining on Jan. 7 as the Boston Celtics escaped San Antonio with a 121-116 NBA victory over the tenacious Spurs.

While the Celtics followed up their dominant victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 5, the Mavs bounced back with a 127-117 victory over the

New Orleans Pelicans with the help of a triple-double from Luka Doncic.

The Celtics improved their league-best record to 28-12 as they finished up a 2-2 road trip, but it looked harder than it needed to be against a rebuilding San Antonio squad.

Jaylen Brown added 29 points, and Malcom Brogdon scored 23 off the bench for the Celtics Boston had opened their four-game road-trip with defeats at Denver and Oklahoma City before routing the Mavericks in Dallas on Jan. 5 on the back of Tatum’s second career triple-double.

In Dallas Doncic rebounded from his seven-for-23 shooting performance against Boston with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Slovenian star notched his 55th career triple-double and his ninth this season, one behind the league-leading 10 of Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

Center Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 points to lead the Pelicans, who were without injured Zion Williamson and Malcolm Brogdon and resting CJ McCollum.

In Sacramento, LeBron James scored 37 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in a dramatic 136-134 victory over the Kings.

The NBA champion Golden State Warriors, still without injured Stephen Curry and with Klay Thompson sitting out with a sore knee, suffered a rare home defeat, falling 115-101 to the Orlando Magic.

Rookie Paolo Banchero scored 25 points to lead five Magic players in double figures.