Boston’s Jaylen Brown drives against Oklahoma City center Moses Brown during Saturday’s game in Oklahoma City. Brown scored 25 points in a 111-94 win. Garett Fisbeck/Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and the Boston Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-94 on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown added 25 points to help the Celtics even their season record as they closed out a four-game trip.
Moses Brown scored a career-high 21 points and tied a Thunder record with 23 rebounds. Theo Maledon added 22 points for Oklahoma City.
Brown had 17 points and 19 rebounds in the first half as the Thunder took a 52-47 lead. He made 6 of 6 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws in just 16 minutes.
The Thunder led 80-76 heading into the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in it with 13 points in the third.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by 7-foot-2 center Luke Kornet put the Celtics up 88-82 early in the fourth. The Celtics acquired Kornet from the Chicago Bulls on Thursday in a three-team deal that involved the Washington Wizards.
A fast-break dunk by Tatum put the Celtics up 95-82, and Boston cruised from there. The Celtics shot 56% in the fourth quarter and outscored the Thunder 35-14. Oklahoma City made just 5 of 17 shots in the final quarter.
Evan Fournier, a guard who joined the Celtics in a trade with the Orlando Magic on Thursday, was out because of health and safety protocols.
KNICKS 102, BUCKS 96: Alec Burks and RJ Barrett each scored 21 points to help New York to a victory at Milwaukee, which played without Giannis Antetokounmpo and three other injured starters.
The victory was costly for the Knicks, who lost starting center Mitchell Robinson to a broken right foot in the first quarter.
Milwaukee also was without starters Khris Middleton, Donte DiVincenzo and Jrue Holiday. Forward Bobby Portis, the leading scorer off the bench, missed his second straight game because of COVID-19 protocols.
WIZARDS 106, PISTONS 92: Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, and Washington completed a victory at home despite All-Star guard Bradley Beal’s injury-shortened outing.
Beal scored 17 points in 21 minutes before the NBA’s leading scorer departed early in the third quarter, having started the game with a sore right foot.
ROCKETS 129, TIMBERWOLVES 107: Kevin Porter Jr. scored 25 points in his return to Houston’s lineup, John Wall had 13 points and 12 assists and the Rockets won in Minneapolis.
SPURS 120, BULLS 104: Jakob Poeltl scored 20 points, DeMar DeRozan had 17 and San Antonio Spurs held on to beat visiting Chicago, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Nikola Vucevic had 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists in his Chicago debut. The Bulls acquired the All-Star center Thursday in a trade with Orlando. Zach Lavine added 18 points for Chicago, which lost its third straight.
NOTES
NETS: LaMarcus Aldridge decided to sign with Brooklyn for the remainder of the season, a person with knowledge of the details said.
After reaching a buyout agreement with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the veteran forward quickly became a coveted free agent for contending teams.
He picked the Nets, according to a person who told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the signing wasn’t official.
ESPN first reported Aldridge’s intentions.
THUNDER: The team announced that veteran center Al Horford will remain inactive for the rest of the season.
Horford, 34, averaged 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds this season. The five-time All-Star will remain with the team and train, but he will not travel.