Isaiah Thomas scored 19 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter to lift the host Boston Celtics over the Toronto Raptors 109-104 on Wednesday night in a showdown for first place in the Atlantic Division.
When Thomas hits a shot in the fourth now, his teammates and many in the stands look down at their wrists, simulating looking at a watch to signal that it's Thomas' time.
"I just did it one game, and it kept going," Thomas said.
It was the fifth straight win for Boston, which moved 1 ½ games ahead of the Raptors.
Miami 116, Atlanta 93: The host Heat extended the NBA's longest current winning streak to nine games.
Golden State 126, Charlotte 111: Stephen Curry hit 11 of 15 three-point tries and scored 39 points for the host Warriors before taking the fourth quarter off. Curry recorded his fifth career game with at least 11 threes. Six of them came in the first quarter. Golden State had 77 points at halftime.
New York 95, Brooklyn 90: Willy Hernangomez had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, and Sasha Vujacic made team history by converting a pair of four-point plays.
Detroit 118, New Orleans 98: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a career-high 38 points and the host Pistons ended an eight-game losing streak against the Pelicans.
