Phoenix Suns rally to beat Dallas Mavericks and snatch 11th straight victory

The Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 11 by rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 112-104.

Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker each scored 19 points while veteran point guard Chris Paul added another 18 and 14 assists as the Suns marked their longest run of consecutive victories since the 2006-07 season.

Phoenix went on a 10-2 run in the final quarter which pushed them 89-86 ahead with just shy of nine minutes left as they kept pouring in the points at home.

The Boston Celtics ruined LeBron James’ return to the court following a two-week injury absence, with the small forward’s Los Angeles Lakers falling 130-108 on the road.

Jayson Tatum exploded in Boston with 37 points and 11 rebounds as his Celtics recovered from being down 61-60 at the half-time break with a dominant second-half performance which ensured the win and moved the hosts to .500 (8-8) for the season.

Boston will welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday after the Western Conference team lost 96-89 to reigning champions the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Lakers, meanwhile, will next face the hapless Detroit Pistons following their defeat by the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors, LaMelo Ball scored a season-high 32 points as his Charlotte Hornets bested the Indiana Pacers 121-118 and the New Orleans Pelicans upset the Los Angeles Clippers 94-81.

James Harden put the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets on his back in a superb performance against the Orlando Magic.

Harden summoned 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the home side overcame a 19-point deficit and the absence of the sidelined Kevin Durant to emerge 115-113 victors.

Brooklyn’s Eastern rivals the Chicago Bulls recovered from a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers to win in Denver for the first time since 2006.

The Nuggets were without the injured reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic, as Zach LaVine netted 12 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls to triumph 114-108.

And Pascal Siakam dropped 32 to help the Toronto Raptors snap a three-game losing streak with a 108-89 effort over Sacramento Kings.