Celtics flex muscles to win battle of NBA heavyweights

Jayson Tatum scored 22 points and Derrick White added 20 as the Boston Celtics showed their championship credentials with a win over the Cavaliers in a match-up of the top teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Boston, the defending NBA champions, executed in the final minutes on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) and held off the Cavs (40-10), who lost for just the fourth time in 28 home games.

Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and Jaylen Brown 16 with nine rebounds as Boston won their fourth straight game and improved to 2-1 against Cleveland this season. The Celtics have a 36-15 overall season record.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Darius Garland 25 for the Cavs, who cut a 15-point deficit to four in the fourth quarter.

But the Celtics, who have won four straight, didn’t buckle and responded in every crucial moment to put away the Cavs.

In Chicago, Australian Josh Giddey scored 24 points and rookie Matas Buzelis matched that tally as the Bulls cooled down the visiting Miami Heat 133-124.

Giddey was a constant threat during his 30 minutes on the court, complementing his 24 points with five rebounds and seven assists.

Coby White scored 22 points and Ayo Dosunmu added 21 and nine assists for the Bulls, who played their first game since trading two-time All-Star Zach LaVine to Sacramento on Sunday.

Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo each scored 23 points for Miami.

The Bulls trailed 114-118 with five minutes to play, but an 11-2 run helped secure the win.

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, also the subject of trade speculation, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his first action in a month to lead the 76ers to a 118-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who fell to 0-2 since trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Embiid recorded his first triple-double of an injury-plagued season in which he’s appeared in just 14 games. A left knee injury sidelined the seven-time All-Star for the previous 15 games, and he wore a large brace on the knee.

But he looked like his usual self, especially down the stretch. Embiid’s layup with 22 seconds left put Philadelphia ahead by a point. He grabbed a rebound on the Mavericks’ next possession, then defended the final play of the game when Dallas turned it over.

Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and 13 assists for the Sixers.

Kyrie Irving scored 34 points for the Mavs and Naji Marshall added 19.

Newly acquired Anthony Davis (abdominal injury) didn’t play but was courtside after Sunday’s trade that brought him to Dallas in exchange for Doncic. Max Christie, also part of the deal, scored 15 points.

Australian Dante Exum had a solid game for the Mavs, contributing 14 points, four assists and a rebound in his 20 minutes on court.

In Toronto, Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds and Jalen Brunson scored 28 points as the New York Knicks held on to beat the Raptors 121-115 for their eighth win in 10 games.

And in New York, Keon Johnson and D’Angelo Russell made three-pointers in the final 10 seconds as Brooklyn stunned Houston 99-97 for their first home victory in two months.