Joel Embiid had 35 points, James Harden added 29 points and 13 assists, and all 76ers of Philadelphia outscored the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter en route to a 119-112 victory on Sunday in the first of five games on the NBA Christmas Day schedule.
The 76ers thus deserved an eighth win in a row.
Georges Niang had four 3-pointers in the productive fourth quarter of the 76ers and he completed his day’s work with 16 points, one more than De’Anthony Melton.
In doing so, the 76ers got off to a good start on a four-game road trip after sweeping a seven-game stint in front of their fans.
The 76ers never had the lead in the first three quarters, but they opened the machine in the last period of play, which they started by collecting 24 of the first 33 points. Suddenly, they turned a 96-95 deficit after 36 minutes into a 119-105 lead with just under two minutes left.
Julius Randle had 35 points and Jalen Brunson contributed 23 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who have dropped three straight after an eight-game winning streak.
Lakers 115 – Mavericks 124
In Dallas, Luka Doncic had 32 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 of 26 in a spectacular third quarter as the Mavericks eventually beat the Los Angeles Lakers 124-115.
The Mavericks took the lead for the first time in the third quarter game, in which they scored 51 points. It’s the most points scored in a single quarter in NBA history on Christmas Day, and the highest total in a single quarter this season.
In the backhand, LeBron James had 38 points, one less than his personal high this season. The Lakers led by 12 points early in the third quarter before the Mavericks turned things around.
Prior to the game, Mavericks executives unveiled a statue of Dirk Nowitzki in front of the south facade of the American Airlines Center.
Nowitzki, a 44-year-old German, is the only player in NBA history to have played all 21 seasons with the same organization. Nowitzki wore the Mavericks uniform between 1998 and 2019.
His number 41 was retired on January 5, 2022, and a street in the American Airlines Center area was renamed in his honor a few years ago.
Bucks 118 – Celtics 139
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 41 points in the third quarter and helped the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 139-118 in a game between the two best clubs in the league.
Jaylen Brown contributed to the win with 13 of 29 points in the fourth quarter. He was also involved in a dispute with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter.
After falling to the ground from contact, the Bucks’ star player retaliated by pushing Brown.
For his gesture, Antetokounmpo was given a technical foul with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter and headed for the players’ bench. He finished the game with 27 points and nine rebounds.
The Celtics (24-10) and Bucks (22-11) have the best records in the league, but have struggled recently.
The Celtics had lost five of their previous seven meetings, and the Bucks are coming off a third straight loss for the first time this season.
By Associated Press reporters Brian Mahoney (New York); Schuyler Dixon (Dallas) and Jimmy Golen (Boston).