Thomas ties Celtics record with 40th straight 20-point game

BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and the surging Boston Celtics held on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-108 on Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time).

It was the 40th straight 20-point game for Thomas, tying the team record set by John Havlicek during the 1971-72 season. Marcus Smart added 21 points and eight steals for the Celtics.

Boston has won four in a row and 11 of 12. Philadelphia had won three straight.

Dario Saric led the 76ers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Robert Covington added 18 points.

In Cleveland, LeBron James scored 31 points, Kyrie Irving added 26, Kyle Korver made six 3-pointers and Cleveland beat Indiana, 113-104, to roll into the All-Star break with its seventh win in eight games.

Irving and Korver combined to make four 3s in the first 2:50 of the fourth quarter — Korver finished with 22 points and became the seventh player with 2,000 career 3s — as the NBA champions improved to 7-1 in February following a drama-and-distraction filled January.

Glenn Robinson III scored 17 points for Indiana. The Pacers have lost five straight.

In Houston, Hassan Whiteside had 23 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to help Miami beat Houston, 117-109.

Dion Waiters added 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Goran Dragic had 21 points for the Heat. They had lost two straight after winning 12 in a row.

James Harden had 38 points 12 rebounds and 12 assists for Houston his 15th triple-double of the season.

In New York, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points in his final game before making his All-Star debut, Greg Monroe added 25 and Milwaukee won, 129-125, to send the Brooklyn Nets to the break on a 14-game skid.

Khris Middleton finished with 20 points in his strongest game since returning from a ruptured left hamstring that forced him to miss the first 50 games. Monroe was 12 for 16 from the field after going 12 for 15 on Monday in a victory over Detroit.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 36 points for the Nets.

In Denver, Andrew Wiggins scored 40 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 18 rebounds in Minnesota's 112-99 victory over Denver.

Wiggins' second 40-plus game in 24 hours helped the Timberwolves split the season series.

The Nuggets went cold 48 hours after blowing out Golden State behind an NBA record-tying 24 3-pointers on 40 tries. They made just 11 of 34 from long range this time, and Nicola Jokic shot just 6 of 19 from the floor for 15 hard-earned points.

In Phoenix, Eric Bledsoe had his third career triple-double, the first for a Phoenix player since November 2015, and the Suns routed Los Angeles, 137-101.

Bledsoe got his 10th rebound with 6:06 to go and exited shortly after, finishing with 25 points and a season high-tying 13 assists. Devin Booker scored 23 points.

Lou Williams and D'Angelo Russell led Los Angeles with 21 points apiece.

In Toronto, Kyle Lowry scored 21 points and Toronto overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Charlotte, 90-85.

Norman Powell had 17 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Raptors. Frank Kaminsky had 27 points, and Kemba Walker added 24 points and nine assists for Charlotte.

In Orlando, Florida, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and Kawhi Leonard added 22, leading San Antonio past short-handed Orlando, 107-79.

Orlando was down a key player after newly acquired swingman Terrence Ross was unable to suit up because Serge Ibaka didn't complete his physical in time in Toronto. The Magic sent Ibaka to Toronto for Ross and a first-round draft pick Tuesday.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

In Memphis, Solomon Hill scored a season-high 23 points and Anthony Davis added 18, including a key basket with 38.8 seconds left that helped New Orleans hold off Memphis, 95-91.

Jrue Holiday had 19 points and seven assists for New Orleans. Alexis Ajinca added 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 17 points.

In Auburn Hills, Reggie Jackson scored 22 points, Jon Leuer added 20 and Detroit beat Dallas. 98-91.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points, and Tobias Harris 13. Dirk Nowitzki had 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter to help the Mavericks rally.

In Salt Lake City, Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and George Hill added 19 for as the Utah Jazz defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 111-88.

Joe Ingles had 18 points for the Jazz, and Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum had 18 points for Portland.