


NBA

BOSTON — Kyrie Irving scored 37 points with eight assists in his return to Boston and Kevin Durant added 29 for Brooklyn on Friday to lead the Nets to a 123-95 victory over the Celtics.
Jarrett Allen added 11 rebounds for the Nets, who remained perfect so far this season and sent Boston to its first loss. Irving was 7 of 10 from 3-point range in his first regular-season game at TD Garden since he opted out of his Celtics contract in 2019.
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points for the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum had 20 points and eight boards. The Celtics beat Milwaukee in their opener on Wednesday on Tatum's last-second shot over Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they couldn't do it again in their second straight matchup against a team expected to contend in the Eastern Conference this season.
The game began after a moment of silence for former Celtics player and coach K.C. Jones, who died earlier Friday.
Montrezl Harrell scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, and Dennis Schroder had 18 points and six assists in a second strong game for both new additions to the NBA champions. Los Angeles outrebounded Dallas 53-27 and closed out its first win of the season with a dominant fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic had 27 points and seven assists in his first starring role in the NBA's showcase Christmas evening game for Dallas. Josh Richardson and Trey Burke had 17 points apiece as the Mavs started 0-2 with a late fade at Staples Center.
Goran Dragic scored 18 points, Bam Adebayo had 17 and Avery Bradley finished with 12 for Miami, and Spoelstra improved his Christmas record as Heat coach to 8-0.
Precious Achiuwa and Tyler Herro each scored 11 for Miami, which lost Jimmy Butler at halftime with right ankle stiffness.
Zion Williamson had 32 points and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes for New Orleans — the rebounds and minutes both being career highs. Brandon Ingram finished with 28 points.
Middleton went 10 of 15 overall and 6 for 8 from 3-point range, leading a strong performance from deep for his team. He totaled 58 points in his first two games of the season.
“The weeks before the season, I just tried to put in good work, work on my game,” Middleton said. “So far, it's been working for me.”
Milwaukee was 20 of 37 on 3-point attempts, while Golden State was 10 of 45.