1st quarter:

An almost unprecedented hot start—three consecutive made field goals—gave Boston an 9-1 lead out of the gate that forced Atlanta to burn an early timeout. The Celtics went on to score 24 points in the first five and a half minutes on 9-11 shooting and 6-7 from deep. Tatum accounted for three longballs while Grant Williams pitched in an early five points as a starter.

In what was a game that the Bucks had circled on their calendar, Milwaukee prevailed and toppled the Philadelphia 76ers last night at Fiserv Forum, 112-101.

It wasn’t the prettiest of starts to this one. Neither team could really develop any traction, and it was nip and tuck throughout. Milwaukee would look as if they were sleepwalking at times, missing cuts and throwing the ball away on a handful of possessions. Other than Giannis scoring, no other Buck was making major contributions. An 8-0 run by the Sixers would be enough to catapult them in front after one, providing them with a 26-22 lead.

One begins to exhaust the explanations as to how the Raptors keep winning these games. It’s been like this the whole season. On Wednesday night, the Pacers were in Toronto, up by as many as 19, looking for all the world like the cagey Eastern Conference battlers they are. Meanwhile, the Raps looked a step slow, like a team on an uproarious 11-game win streak that was filled with confidence, yes, but tired, too, thanks to the exertions it takes to maintain such a run of victories. Even against a slate of weaker teams it’s damn hard work — and Indiana is not a weak team.

The Miami Heat have traded for veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Miami has also reportedly agreed to a 2-year, $30-million extension with the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, the last year a team option.

“He didn’t want to go. Didn’t know anything about [Nike]. Didn’t like the shoes. Didn’t want to go. The shoe wasn’t that great at the time and Converse was the dominant brand…Adidas had everybody else that mattered.”

The Spurs could be willing to part with Gay, who re-signed with the team last summer and is averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds this season. “If they get a nice asset back, I think they would do something with Rudy Gay, but I think their asking price is too high,” said the league executive. “Rudy still has something in his tank,” said an NBA scout,

Trae Young trounced the Celtics’ defense two days after 2020 began, pouring 37 on the C’s perimeter and only Daniel Theis could spoil him from reaching 40. His game-sealing block on a switch at the three-point line cut Young off in ways Marcus Smart and Boston’s back court couldn’t all night.

A new winning streak has been started, as the Bucks took down the Phoenix Suns with ease, 129-108.

Despite the early tip time on a Sunday afternoon, neither teams looked too sluggish to begin this one (that’s always refreshing to see). Instead, the Bucks would ride a wave of eight points from Brook Lopez and seven from Giannis Antetokounmpo to conquer a 30-26 point advantage after one. The Greek Freak would also post seven rebounds in the opening 12 minutes.

LeBron James delivered one of the great moments of his career before the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night, the franchise’s first game since the tragic deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant in a helicopter crash Sunday.

One night after a game head coach Frank Vogel called “definitely the heaviest game I’ve been a part of,” the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t have looked lighter. The team started out the night with a 44-22 demolition of the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter, and despite a few third-quarter hiccups, they were able to coast their way out of the state capital with a 129-113 win.