- Israel bans main UN Gaza aid agency, says pursuing hostage deal talks
- Curry to miss at least two NBA games with left ankle injury
- Hefty electric vehicle costs dent Ford profits
- COP16 chair hails biodiversity attaining 'equal footing' with climate crisis
- Aitana Bonmati wins second successive women's Ballon d'Or
- Ohtani named in Dodgers starting line-up for World Series game three
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or ceremony
- US finalizes curbs on investing in Chinese tech
- Harris blasts Trump after racist rally rhetoric
- Tens of thousands protest in Georgia over 'stolen' election
- Man Utd sack Ten Hag, reportedly set to appoint Amorim
- Bolivia says Morales falsely claimed assassination bid
- Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim set for Manchester United job: reports
- Retiring Popp signs off as Germany's first female football superstar
- Chopin waltz unearthed after 200 years
- England's Freeman keen to make 'life a misery' for All Blacks' Reece
- Serie A strugglers Genoa sign Mario Balotelli
- German citizen's execution by Iran 'extrajudicial killing of hostage': NGO
- Trump team on defensive over racist rhetoric
- Israel to pursue new talks on Gaza hostage deal
- El Salvador troops target gangs in large-scale operation
- North Korea sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia, US says
- Who said what on Ten Hag's sacking as Man Utd manager
- Alcaraz back in Paris with unfinished business at Bercy
- Fallout spreads from racist rhetoric at Trump rally
- Tens of thousands rally in Georgia after contested vote
- Clint Eastwood skips premiere of new film 'Juror #2'
- Georgia president hints at Russian-aided vote fraud in AFP interview
- Apple rolls out AI features across devices
- Sacked Ten Hag was a 'dead man walking' at Man Utd - Shearer
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or over perceived Vinicius snub
- Sexual assault trial of French actor Depardieu suspended until March
- North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to train in Russia: Pentagon
- Palmer says Chelsea's youth creates its own pressures
- Harris, Trump and two contrasting 'first families'
- Real Madrid boycott Ballon d'Or over perceived Vinicius snub: club
- Suit filed in Pennsylvania to halt Musk's $1 mn giveaways
- Mowed down by cars, European hedgehog numbers shrinking
- One in three tree species at risk of extinction: report
- Five candidates to replace Ten Hag at Man Utd
- UN chief says Sudan is enduring 'nightmare' of hunger, violence, illness
- Trump, Harris enter final week of tense US election
- Ferdinand says sacked Ten Hag like a 'boxer knocked down'
- Chad hunts attackers after 40 killed in Boko Haram raid
- Oil prices tumble, global stocks rise as Iran fears ease
- Verstappen controversy, Hamilton happy - Mexico Grand Prix talking points
- Boeing announces stock offering expected to raise up to $19 billion
- UK far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson jailed for 18 months
- Sexual assault trial of French screen legend Depardieu opens without him
- X suspends new account posting on behalf of Iran leader Khamenei
NBA-best Celtics beat Pelicans to snap skid, Bucks win
Jayson Tatum scored 23 points to lead a balanced Boston attack in a 104-92 victory at New Orleans on Saturday, snapping a two-game losing skid for the NBA-best Celtics.
Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals while Jaylen Brown added 17 points for the Celtics.
Jrue Holiday had 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Boston, which avoided a first three-game losing streak this season after back-to-back losses in Atlanta.
"We want to be a hungry team no matter what," Porzingis said. "We haven't done anything and back-to-back losses to Atlanta is not in our DNA. It just didn't sit right with us, so we came out here tonight and got us a W."
The Celtics, who have clinched the Eastern Conference crown, improved to 58-16, moving closer to securing a home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs.
New Orleans, fifth in the Western Conference, fell to 45-29, a half-game ahead of Dallas and two atop Phoenix in a fight for the last two guaranteed West playoff spots.
"We just knew we couldn't be in cruise control," Porzingis said. "These teams are hungry. They need these wins. Maybe we at this point of the season don't need them as much, but still we want to come out here and compete at a high level every night."
Porzingis was unhappy at shooting only 6-of-14 from the floor, and just 1-of-6 from 3-point range but pleased with his all-around effort.
"There are so many ways we can impact a game if things are not going perfect for us," Porzingis said. "That's what I did tonight. I turned up another notch and that's what we're going to need the rest of this regular season and then even more in the post-season."
Boston began the third quarter on a 15-7 run to open a 74-64 advantage on the way to an 83-68 lead entering the fourth quarter and the Celtics kept the Pelicans at bay over the final minutes.
"Once we hit another gear, the game just flipped," Porzingis said.
Derrick White, who scored 15 points, sank a 3-pointer at the second quarter buzzer to cap an 8-1 Celtics run for a 59-57 half-time Boston lead.
Tatum had 13 first-half points for Boston while Brown and Porzingis each scored 11.
Zion Williamson led New Orleans with a game-high 25 points, 12 in the first quarter, and nine rebounds while CJ McCollum added 24 points for the Pelicans.
- Big night for Giannis -
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and added seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot to spark the Bucks to a 122-113 victory in Atlanta.
The Bucks snapped the Hawks' four-game win streak -- which included two wins over the Celtics -- and improved to 47-27, stretching their lead over Cleveland for second in the East to two games.
Atlanta, led by Bogdan Bogdanovic's game-high 38 points, fell to 34-40, clinging to 10th in the East and the last play-in spot, a game behind Chicago.
Orlando's Wendell Carter had 15 points and 13 rebounds on a night when seven Magic players scored in double figures, none more than 15 points, in a 118-88 home victory over Memphis.
Orlando improved to 43-31, 1.5 games behind fourth-place New York in the East.
Th.Berger--AMWN