Celtics hold on to clip wings of high-flying Hawks

Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum have led the Celtics to a gripping seven-point win over the Atlanta Hawks in their NBA clash in Boston.

Pritchard scored 36 points and Tatum had 26 points and 12 rebounds as the home side won 109-102 on Friday night (Saturday AEDT).

Jalen Johnson scored 29 points and CJ McCollum had 21 for the Hawks, who came in 15-2 since the All-Star break, best in the Eastern Conference.

By his usual lofty standards, Australia's Dyson Daniels had a quiet night for the Hawks, but still managed six points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Behind Pritchard's spark off the bench and a dramatic swing beyond the arc, the Celtics caught the Hawks after trailing 25-9 in the first quarter. Boston made seven straight three-pointers in the second quarter, but Atlanta led 60-55 at halftime.

Fresh off an overtime victory over Eastern Conference leaders Detroit, Atlanta entered the final quarter within striking distance of Boston, who have the East's second-best record.

Tatum had a tough night from the field, missing 16 of 24 shots, yet his spinning drive to the rim gave Boston a 97-86 lead with 7:29 remaining.

He then sealed the result with three free throws that gave Boston a 107-99 lead with a minute left.

The Hawks entered Friday with 14 wins in their past 15 games, but had their three-game winning streak snapped.

In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points as the Thunder used a 22-0 second-half run to power a 131-113 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Gilgeous-Alexander made just 8-of-24 shots, but still scored at least 20 points for a record 134th consecutive game.

Cason Wallace added 21 points for the Thunder, who were coming off a loss at Boston that followed a 12-game winning streak.

Collin Sexton scored 22 points, Tre Jones scored 21 and Isaac Okoro added 20 for the Bulls, who have lost four of five.

Former Thunder guard Josh Giddey, who has averaged 17.6 points for the season, scored just five. The Australian had 11 assists, but made just one of 11 shots and had five turnovers.

In Indianapolis, the LA Clippers rallied from a 24-point deficit to claim a thrilling 114-113 win over the Indiana Pacers.

And in Denver, Cam Johnson and Jamal Murray combined for four three-pointers in the final 2:20 as the Nuggets surged from 13 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 135-129.

In other results, the Cleveland Cavaliers romped to a 149-128 win over the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-106, and the Houston Rockets scored a 119-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.