Jaylen Brown scored 37 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns 127-112 to extend their winning run to four games.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and Al Horford 24 as victory at home edged the Celtics closer to securing the NBA Eastern Conference’s top seeding for the play-offs.
Devin Booker led the Suns’ scorers with 23 points, with Bradley Beal making 22.
The Celtics are clear leaders in the Eastern Conference with a 52-14 record.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said: “Everything with [Brown] starts with his defensive intensity. Getting off to a great start defensively gets him going and that’s big for our team.
“And he can score on anybody at any time. He’s playing really well-rounded basketball on both ends. It’s fun to watch.”
The defeat for the 38-28 Suns places them seventh in the Western Conference, outside the top six automatic play-off places.
Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the top of the Western Conference with a narrow 126-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 36 points for Dallas but Oklahoma City pulled away in the second half thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points and 27 from Jalen Williams.
Oklahoma are level in the conference with the Denver Nuggets on 42 wins and 20 defeats, but they take first place because of their 3-1 record against the NBA champions in games this season.
Also on Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks produced a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-105.
Philadelphia, who are still without injured NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, led by 10 in the third quarter but saw their advantage slip away.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee scoring with 32 points, with Brook Lopez adding 19 and Damian Lillard 17.
The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference with a 43-24 record.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers claimed a comfortable 126-111 victory at the Chicago Bulls.
Paul George finished with 28 points and Kawhi Leonard added 27 as the Clippers stay fourth in the Western Conference on 42-23, three and a half wins behind Denver and Oklahoma City.
Source Agencies
