The China Mail - Irving shines as Mavs roll Thunder, Nuggets scorch Heat

Oklahoma City, riding high after their rout of Eastern Conference pace-setters Cleveland on Thursday, suffered just their seventh defeat of the season in a roller coaster duel against a fired-up Mavericks.

Irving was at the heart of the Mavs win, rattling in 17 points in a 41-point second quarter that allowed Dallas to open up a 64-43 half-time lead.

The Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a wrist injury, came roaring back to draw level in the third quarter before edging into a single-digit lead.

But the Mavs, who are still without the injured Luka Doncic, regrouped superbly to close out the win, outscoring the Thunder 29-22 in the fourth quarter to seal victory.

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd saluted his team's resilience in securing victory after watching a 20-point lead evaporate in the third quarter.

"We were flat in that third quarter," Kidd said. "We said on the bench we needed to stay the course, and stay together and in the fourth quarter we did.

"We feel like we have a talented team, and they have a talented team. So I thought tonight was a really good test for our group."

- Miami lose on Butler's return -

Elsewhere Friday, Jimmy Butler returned for Miami after serving a seven-game in-house suspension but was powerless to prevent the Heat from slumping to a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic bagged his 17th triple-double of the season, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a comfortable victory for the 2023 NBA champions.

Jamal Murray led the Denver scoring with 30 points on a night when seven Nuggets players finished in double figures.

Butler, who was suspended by Miami after indicating he wished to leave the club earlier this month, finished with 18 points.

In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 30 points as the NBA champion Celtics shrugged off their heaviest loss of the season to outclass the Orlando Magic 121-94.

Boston, dominated 110-97 by lowly Toronto on the road on Wednesday, showed no signs of a hangover to complete a comfortable home victory at the TD Garden.

Orlando took a short-lived lead early in the first quarter but once Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown found their range, the result was never in doubt.

Tatum's 30-point haul came from 12-of-21 shooting with four three-pointers, six rebounds and four assists.

Porzingis finished with 23 points and Brown added 20, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla singled out Brown for praise following the win.

"I liked just how he was thoroughly intense," Mazzulla said. "He brings a different level of a mentality to us at times, and I thought tonight he brought a great level of intensity."

Boston improved to 29-12 with the victory to remain in second place in the Eastern Conference behind leaders Cleveland.

Orlando's scoring was led by Cole Anthony with 23 points while Paolo Banchero continued his return from injury with 21 points.

In New York meanwhile, Anthony Edwards erupted for 36 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves romped to a 116-99 victory over the Knicks.

Edwards was on fire from outside the arc, making 8-of-13 three-pointers while Naz Reid also caught the eye with 6-of-6 threes in a 23-point cameo shift off the bench.

In Milwaukee, the Bucks handed Toronto a reality check following their upset of Boston on Wednesday, with a 130-112 blowout at the Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee swept to their third-straight win thanks to 35 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 26 points from Damian Lillard. The Bucks improved to 23-17 with the victory and remain in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Q.Yam--ThChM