Mavericks hold off Celtics 127-120

By Canadian Press on February 6, 2025.

BOSTON (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Daniel Gafford gave the Mavericks 15 rebounds in what could be his last start at center for a while and Dallas beat the Boston Celtics 127-120 on Thursday night in their NBA Finals rematch.

With recently acquired big man Anthony Davis out with an abdominal strain and cheering on his new teammates from the bench, the Mavericks led by 27 points in the second half. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points off the bench.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla put in his bench, and they unexpectedly pulled within single digits in the final minute.

Jaylen Brown, who won the NBA Finals MVP in June while leading Boston to a five-game victory over Dallas, scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 17. Payton Pritchard scored 21 to lead the second-string rally.

TIMBERWOLVES 127, ROCKETS 114

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Minnesota rallied to beat Houston.

One night after scoring 49 points in a win over Chicago, Edwards dominated the game early and late. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth, which began with Houston leading by six.

Rudy Gobert had back-to-back dunks to start the quarter before Edwards took over with three 3-pointers as Minnesota outscored Houston 35-16 over the final 12 minutes.

Jaylen Clark scored a career-high 17 points for the Timberwolves while Naz Reid had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Jalen Green led Houston with 28 points. Alperen Sengun had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who lost their fifth straight.

NUGGETS 112, MAGIC 90

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 24th triple-double of the season, Michael Porter Jr. added 30 points and Denver won their fifth in a row by beating Orlando.

Christian Braun finished with 16 points for a Nuggets team that saw the trade deadline come and go without making a move. The Nuggets had the game so well in hand that Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Porter turned in another electric offensive performance by hitting 11 of 16 shots, including five 3-pointers. It’s his third straight game with 30 or more points.

Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 19 points, and Paolo Banchero added 18. Orlando was outscored 33-17 in the third quarter

The Associated Press