Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum added 27 as Boston remained undefeated at home with a 145-113 victory over Houston on Saturday in former Celtics coach Ime Udoka’s return to Boston.
The Celtics improved their NBA record to 30-9 overall and 19-0 at home, being the only franchise that remains undefeated at home at this point in the season, extending their record of wins at home since the start of a season. league.
Brown, who scored 21 points in the third quarter, made 11 of 15 shots from the field, 4 of 6 from the 3-point line, and added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
“When we play this (fast) in transition we are difficult to beat,” Brown said.
Udoka led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors, but was suspended just before the start of the 2022-23 season for having an inappropriate relationship with a team employee.
Joe Mazzulla, Udoka’s former assistant, took over as coach last February and this Saturday downplayed the impact of the clash with Udoka, hired by the Rockets as coach in April.
“The fact that Ime is back is great,” he said. “But I don’t think she has anything to do with winning or losing.”
The matchup was important for the Celtics, especially after falling resoundingly 135-102 in Milwaukee on Thursday.
In Atlanta, the Washington Wizards snapped a six-game losing streak with a 127-99 victory over the Hawks. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 29 points.
The Los Angeles Lakers (19-20) visited Utah (20-20) without LeBron James.
The 39-year-old superstar missed his fourth game of the season with a left ankle injury.
Saturday’s results:
Nuggets – Pelicans 125-113
Celtics – Rockets 145-113
Hawks – Wizards 99-127
Grizzlies – Knicks 94-106
Bucks – Warriors 129-118
Thunder – Magic 112-100
Mavericks – Pelicans 108-118
Spurs – Bulls 116-122
Jazz – Lakers 132-125
2024-01-14 05:57:27
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