Basketball

BOSTON (AP) — Acting interim Boston Celtics coach Damon Stoudamire had the perfect plan for his debut in the top job.

DALLAS (AP) — Jalen Brunson missed his first Dallas reunion after the New York Knicks point guard was ruled out of a meeting with the Mavericks with a sore right hip. The club announced the decision not long before the start of Tuesday night's game.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla missed the game Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets because of eye irritation and was replaced on the bench by assistant Damon Stoudamire.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown will miss the game against the Denver Nuggets after entering the league's health and safety protocols.

DENVER (AP) — There was a time when an NBA team had some sense of how things were shaping up by Christmas. Even if just a glimmer of its place in the overall landscape. Then the Boston Celtics made a run to the 2022 NBA Finals after being under .

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jusuf Nurkic scored 27 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, to go with 14 rebounds and six assists as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 124-113 on Monday night.

San Antonio Spurs (11-22, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-19, 12th in the Western Conference) Oklahoma City; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Thunder -6.5; over/under is 235.

Atlanta Hawks (17-16, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (17-17, eighth in the Eastern Conference) Indianapolis; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Pacers -1.

Houston Rockets (10-23, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (24-10, first in the Eastern Conference) Boston; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Celtics -14.

Charlotte Hornets (9-25, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (16-18, 10th in the Western Conference) San Francisco; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Warriors -4.