NBA-best Celtics rout Wemby's Spurs for sixth win in a row

WASHINGTON – Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Jaylen Brown added 24 to lead the NBA-best Boston Celtics over San Antonio, 134-101, on Sunday (Monday, Manila time), stretching their win streak to six games.

Kristaps Porzingis added 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Celtics, who improved to 26-6.

Boston also got 17 points from Derrick White, who spent five seasons with San Antonio before joining the Celtics in a 2022 trade. He heard chants of "White's an All-Star" from the Texas fans.

"I've got a lot of respect for the fans here, great memories here," White said. "I'm just thankful."

Boston outscored the Spurs 40-23 in the third quarter to pull away for good.

"Just had that mindset of third quarter is important and coming out ready to go," White said. "We finished the first half well and kept it going from there."

Tatum made 10-of-17 shots from the floor, 5-of-10 from 3-point range, while Brown went 9-of-13 from the floor, hitting both 3-point attempts, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

French 19-year-old rookie star center Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 (2.24m) top pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the host Spurs, who fell to 5-27.

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 26 points and the host New Orleans Pelicans avenged an In-Season Tournament (IST) semifinal loss by ripping the Los Angeles Lakers 129-109.

Ingram also contributed eight assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots while Williamson added six assists and four rebounds for the Pelicans, who improved to 19-14 with all five starters scoring in double figures.

A day after his 39th birthday, LeBron James led the Lakers with 34 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds. Anthony Davis netted 20 points with 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who humbled the Pelicans 133-89 on their way to the IST crown earlier this month.

Japan's Rui Hachimura was sidelined by a calf injury after starting for the Lakers, playing only eight minutes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 24 points to lead Oklahoma City over visiting Brooklyn, 124-108, for a fourth consecutive triumph.

The Canadian guard hit 7-of-15 from the floor and