Jayson Tatum scored 18 of his 23 points in the third quarter and the Boston Celtics crushed the Toronto Raptors 125-71 on Tuesday.
It was the 11th straight loss for the Raptors, who have allowed 125 or more points in their last four outings.
The Celtics outscored the Raptors 45-18 in the third quarter, hitting 10 of 12 three-point attempts, to end the year with a massacre.
Jrue Holiday, who returned after missing three games with a right shoulder injury, finished with 14 points for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard had 19, Derrick White had 16 and Sam Hauser had 12.
Jaylen Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds in the win.
For the Raptors, who went 2-11 in December, Scottie Barnes led the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl had 13 rebounds.
Quebecer Chris Boucher collected seven points and two rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
The Toronto team never recovered from a terrible first half, during which they committed 12 turnovers and only made 29.5% (13 of 44) of their shots.
The Raptors will begin 2025 at home on Wednesday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
SGA on fire
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander provided 40 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder signed their 12th straight victory to conclude 2024 by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-105.
They tied an organization record in this regard.
The Canadian was 15 for 23 on shots and got 19 of his points in the final quarter, while forcing 10 turnovers.
OKC outscored Minnesota 36-10 in the final 8:30 of the third quarter to take a strong lead.
Isaiah Hartenstein added 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Jalen Williams had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Anthony Edwards led the T-Wolves with 20 points, including four from distance on seven attempts.
Bucks 120 – Pacers 112
MIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 30 points and obtained 12 rebounds in his team’s victory.
IND: Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin led his team in points, with 25. He also added 9 rebounds.
Clippers 86 – Spurs 122
LAC: Former Raptors Norman Powell had 15 points and five rebounds
SA: Victor Wembanyama led the charge with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks
Cavaliers 122 – Lakers 110
KEY: The Cavs won an 8th game in a row. Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell had 27 and 26 points respectively.
LAK: Austin Reaves led his team with 35 points, nearly a hat-trick with 10 assists and 9 rebounds.
Grizzlies 117 – Suns 112
MEM: Jaren Jackson was dominant with 38 points, Desmond Bane added 31.
PHO: Kevin Durant responded with 29 points. In his return from a 5-game absence, Devin Booker had 16 points.
