Boston Celtics lose to Miami as Gilgeous-Alexander ties Jordan's streak

After nine straight wins, the Boston Celtics were defeated 124-103 by the Miami Heat on Wednesday. On the same day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a strong MVP candidate, tied the record for the longest streak of games with 20+ points, surpassing Michael Jordan.

Boston, ranked second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, hosted the Miami Heat with several key players sidelined, including starters Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford.

Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, while Jayson Tatum had just 16 for the Celtics, who struggled against Miami's defense. The Heat limited them to just 37% shooting in the first half.

On offense, guard Tyler Herro led the Heat's collective effort with 25 points, while six other players scored in double figures.

Miami, which has won six straight games, is still working to improve its position for the playoffs, set to begin in two weeks.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have slim chances of reaching the top spot in the East, as they are five wins behind the Cavaliers with only six games remaining.

Cleveland also kept their momentum on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where they defeated the Knicks 124-105, led by 27 points from Donovan Mitchell.

The Knicks, third in the East, squandered a 15-point lead in the first half of a game in which they welcomed back Dominican-American center Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Rockets return to playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the regular season, secured their 64th win on Wednesday with a 119-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a strong MVP contender alongside Nikola Jokic, scored 33 points in the West's 11th straight win for the Thunder.

The Canadian extended his streak to 69 consecutive games with at least 20 points, tying Michael Jordan (1990-91 season) for the fourth-longest such streak in history.

They are surpassed only by the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, with 80 games in the 1961-62 and 1963-64 seasons, and Oscar Robertson, who had 76 games in the 1963-64 season.

In other action, the Houston Rockets overwhelmed the Utah Jazz, the worst team this season, with a 143-105 victory, securing their return to the playoffs after a four-year absence.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets lost 113-106 to the San Antonio Spurs without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who were rested after playing two overtimes in the previous day's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In Dallas, the Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-118, with Anthony Davis contributing 34 points and 15 rebounds.