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NBA: Kyrie Irving scores 29 points in three quarters, Celtics rout Cavaliers

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (11) advances the ball downcourt against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) during the first half.
(Elise Amendola / Associated Press)
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Kyrie Irving scored 29 points in the first three quarters and the Boston Celtics topped their season scoring high for the second straight game, routing the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-95 on Friday night.

Marcus Morris added 15 points, Jayson Tatum had 13, and Aron Baynes finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Boston took over in the third quarter, making 6 of 8 3-pointers and outscoring Cleveland 39-20.

Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland.

at 76ers 123, Wizards 98: Joel Embiid had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Ben Simmons added 13 points and 10 assists and both Philadelphia stars sat for the final quarter and a half.

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T.J. McConnell scored 15 points to help the 76ers win their third in a row and seventh in the last eight. They improved to 12-1 at home. Bradley Beal had 19 points for short-handed Washinton.

at Pistons 107, Bulls 88: Andre Drummond had 19 points and 19 rebounds and Blake Griffin added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help Detroit rout Chicago for its fourth straight victory.

Reggie Jackson added 20 points for the Pistons. Wendall Carter scored a career-high 28 points for the Bulls. They have lost five in a row.

Jazz 119, at Hornets 111: Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Robert Gobert had 20 points and 17 rebounds and the Utah Jazz scored 54 points off 3-pointers to hold off Charlotte.

Kyle Korver made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in his first game in his second stint with the Jazz. He was acquired from Cleveland on Thursday. Jae Crowder, Korver’s former teammate in Cleveland, added 24 points off the bench for Utah. Jeremy Lamb had 24 points for the Hornets.

at Thunder 124, Hawks 109: Russell Westbrook fell a rebound short of a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 124-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

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Alex Abrines scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers, Paul George had 20 points and Dennis Schroder added 18. Oklahoma City shot 52.3 percent from the field, hitting a season-high 18 3-pointers.

John Collins and Alex Len each scored 19 points for Atlanta, and Taurean Prince added 15.

Hawks guard Trae Young had nine points and eight assists on 4-for-15 shooting in his return to his home state. Young was an All-American at Oklahoma last season, and he received a nice ovation during starting lineup introductions.

The Thunder took control in the second quarter by making 7 of 13 3-pointers to take a 66-46 lead at the break. George scored 19 points, and Westbrook had 15 in the first half.

at Heat 106, Pelicans 101: Josh Richardson scored 20 points, Dwyane Wade added 18 and Miami wasted most of a 31-point lead before hanging on to beat New Orleans.

The Heat led by 31 points in the second quarter, then saw the lead cut to three in the final moments before escaping to snap a six-game home losing streak.

Anthony Davis had 41 points for the Pelicans.

Rockets 136, at Spurs 105: Clint Capela had 27 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden added 23 points and 10 assists and Houston handed San Antonio its second straight lopsided loss.

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Chris Paul added 14 points and 10 assists for Houston.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points for the Spurs. Coming off a 39-point loss at Minnesota, San Antonio (10-12) fell two games below .500 for the first time since it was 4-6 on Nov. 20, 2009.

Grizzlies 131, at Nets 125, 2OT: Mike Conley scored 13 of Memphis’ 14 points in the second overtime and finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds, and the Grizzlies beat Brooklyn.

Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. had a career-high 36 points for Memphis.

Conley kept Memphis’ hopes alive in regulation when he blocked Spencer Dinwiddie’s potential winning basket and then scored on a floater to tie it 117 with nine seconds left in the first overtime.

Marc Gasol had 15 points and 15 rebounds to help the Grizzlies snap a three-game losing streak.

D’Angelo Russell had 26 points for the Nets, and DeMarre Carroll added 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Magic 99, at Suns 85: Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 15 rebounds and Orlando beat Phoenix.

Terrence Ross added 21 points, and Aaron Gordon had 18.

Deandre Ayton scored 19 points for Phoenix.

Nuggets 113, at Trail Blazers: Gary Harris, who had missed Denver’s last two games with a sore left ankle, scored 27 points and the Nuggets won their fifth straight game by edging the Portland Trail Blazers 113-112 on Friday night.

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Paul Millsap added 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 17 points but nearly squandered it in the frantic final minutes.

CJ McCollum had 33 points, but missed a short jumper at the final buzzer as the Blazers came up just short. Jusuf Nurkic added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, which has lost four of its last five games.

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