Celtics score rout sans hurtin’ Irving; Nuggets on a roll

BOSTON – Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 20 points and the Boston Celtics rolled over the Charlotte Hornets 126-94 on Wednesday night despite Kyrie Irving’s absence.

Terry Rozier had 17 points and tied a career high with 10 assists in place of Irving, the star guard who missed his second straight game with a left hip strain.

Marcus Morris scored 15 points, Al Horford had 14 and Gordon Hayward 12 to help the  Celtics win for the seventh time in eight games. Kemba Walker had 21 points for Charlotte.

In New Orleans,  Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season and Denver beat undermanned New Orleans 105-99.

Malik Beasley scored 22 points, and Monte Morris added 20 to help the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets win their fourth straight.

For the second night in a row, they played without four usual starters and a top reserve. Their only available starter, Jrue Holiday, had 22 points.

In Minneapolis, Karl-Anthony Towns hit a buzzer-beating desperation shot in overtime to lift Minnesota past Memphis 99-97.

Memphis led twice during overtime, but Towns helped Minnesota closed it out. On the final possession, Andrew Wiggins ran the clock down to six seconds before shooting a pull-up 3. The rebound fell to the right side, where Towns grabbed it, dribbled once.

In Washington,  Bradley Beal scored 25 points, Jeff Green added 23 to lead another productive night from Washington’s bench, and the Wizards beat Indiana 107-89.

In Sacramento,  Harry Giles came off the bench and scored 12 of his season-high 20 points in the third quarter, Marvin Bagley III added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Sacramento romped past Atlanta behind its two prized rookies 135-113.

In Portland,  Damian Lillard had 36 points and 11 assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 132-105 win over the Jazz.