Celtics win, extend NBA-leading record

The NBA-leading Boston Celtics have extended their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 116-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jayson Tatum had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown also scored 29 points and Boston improved their season record to 25-10 on Thursday night.

Marcus Smart contributed 17 points and nine assists, Grant Williams had 11 points and 10 boards for the home side, who won their fourth straight game after opening their seven-game homestand with three straight losses.

"Those guys beat us up pretty bad in LA. So we wanted to change the narrative tonight on our home floor and come out and get a win," Brown said.

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and Paul George had 24 for Los Angeles (21-16), fourth in the West, who had won four of their last five games.

Cleveland remain fourth in the East, going down 135-126 to the Pacers in Indianapolis.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points and Buddy Hield added 25.

Haliburton was 6-for-8 from outside and Hield, who leads the NBA in threes, was 5-for-6. Indiana finished 19-of-31 from beyond the arc.

The three-point barrage began just three seconds in as the opening tip was batted directly to Hield, who turned and swished a shot that was the fastest triple recorded since play-by-play began in 1996-97.

Dallas moved up to fifth thanks to another Luka Doncic masterclass.

Doncic followed his 60-point triple-double two nights earlier with his NBA-best eighth triple-double of the season, and the Mavericks (20-16) beat the Houston Rockets 129-114.

The Slovenian had 35 points, 12 boards and 13 assists as Dallas improved their winning streak to a season-best five games. He clinched the triple-double with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter, giving him consecutive triple-doubles twice this season.

"It's always been his passing that has been the thing that has really separated him from everybody else, but now he's adding the scoring to the passing, which makes him just a nightmare to defend and prepare for," Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who was a Mavs assistant during Doncic's first two seasons, said.

In Toronto, Ja Morant had a career-high 17 assists and scored 19 points and the Memphis Grizzlies won for the first time in three games, beating the struggling Raptors 119-106.

Dillon Brooks scored 25 points, Desmond Bane 16 and Steven Adams had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the visitors who are third in the West.

Josh Giddey's Oklahoma City are 12th after going down 121-113 to the Hornets in Charlotte.

The Australian guard recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 28 points and Luguentz Dort added 22 for the Thunder (15-20), who had won four of their last five.

LaMelo Ball had 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for just the home side's third victory in 14 games.