NBA roundup: Thomas again leads Celtics in the fourth

Isaiah Thomas scored 19 of his 44 points in the final quarter to lift the Boston Celtics over the Toronto Raptors, 109-104, on Wednesday night in a showdown for first place in the Atlantic Division.

It was the fifth straight win for the host Celtics, who moved 11/2 games ahead of the Raptors in the division and are in position for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed.

Kyle Lowry had 32 points for Toronto, which has lost seven of nine. The Raptors led by 11 points at halftime and built the lead to 75-57 before the Celtics rallied.

at Miami 116, Atlanta 93: The Heat rolled to their ninth consecutive win, getting 27 points from Goran Dragic and 20 from Dion Waiters. Hassan Whiteside had 18 points and 18 rebounds for Miami.

at Golden State 126, Charlotte 111: Stephen Curry made 11 three-pointers and scored 39 points in three quarters and Klay Thompson had 29 points and a career-high tying eight assists for the Warriors.

at Cleveland 125, Minnesota 97: LeBron James scored 27 points and Kyrie Irving had 14 points and a career-high 14 assists for the Cavaliers, who led by only three points at halftime.

Indiana 98, at Orlando 88: C.J. Miles scored 16 points for the Pa-cers, who won their fourth in a row. Serge Ibaka had 20 points for the Magic, who are 8-16 at home.

at Detroit 118, New Orleans 98: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 38 points and the Pistons beat the Pelicans for the first time in nine games. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 12 rebounds but New Orleans lost its third in a row.

at New York 95, Brooklyn 90: Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Sasha Vujacic had two four-point plays for the Knicks. The Nets lost their seventh in a row.

Memphis 119, at Denver 99: Marc Gasol scored 24 points, Mike Conley had 18 and the Grizzlies won their third game in a row.

at Utah 104, Milwaukee 88: Rudy Gobert had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, his 33rd double-double this season.

Chicago 128, at Oklahoma City 100: Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for the Bulls, who shot 68% from the field in the second half.

at Dallas 113, Philadelphia 95: Seth Curry scored 22 points, and Salah Mejri had 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for the Mavericks.

Clippers 124, at Phoenix 114