The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year.

The Celtics traded for 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis this past offseason hoping he might be the missing piece to help them hoist their 18th title.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Jayson Tatum had 27 on his 26th birthday, and the NBA-best Boston Celtics posted their third-largest winning margin in franchise history, drubbing the weary Golden State Warriors 140-88.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters and the Boston Celtics used a blistering start to pull away from the Indiana Pacers, winning 155-104 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten.

Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22 and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat are now just one win from the NBA Finals after rolling past the Boston Celtics 128-102 on Sunday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference title series.

Derrick White scored 23 points to help a shorthanded Boston team hold off Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies 119-109.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

The Boston Celtics took their turn pounding the Miami Heat early.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each scored 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.

Jimmy Butler scored 41 points, and the Miami Heat turned things around with a huge third quarter on the way to beating the shorthanded Boston Celtics 118-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Tre Jones made a layup with less than a second remaining to give San Antonio the lead, then had a steal to prevent Charlotte from taking a final shot in the Spurs’ 106-105 victory over the Hornets on Thursday night in the NBA Summer League.

Sharife Cooper made a go-ahead, 3-pointer just before the buzzer that lifted the Atlanta Hawks to an 84-83 win over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Summer League on Tuesday night.

Tyler Herro scored 24 points and the Miami Heat clinched a playoff spot with a 129-121 victory over the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving just missed a triple-double despite an awful shooting night, Joe Harris scored 20 points and the Brooklyn Nets regained first place in the Eastern Conference with a 109-104 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics blew most of a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding on for a 121-113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, left, shoots next to Golden State Warriors guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)SAN FRANCISCO – Jayson Tatum had 27 points in picking up the offensive slack for Boston without injured Marcus Smart, and the Celtics withstood another scoring spree by Stephen Curry to beat the Golden State Warriors 111-107 on Tuesday night. Golden State then lost starting center Kevon Looney to a sprained left ankle that kept him out during the second half. Golden State was outdone on the boards 51-36. Warriors: Golden State hasn't beaten Boston at home in three tries since a 109-105 victory on Jan. 27, 2018.

Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis (3) shoots between Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7) and Jayson Tatum during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON – The Lakers started off their season-high, seven-game road trip by winning three of four before Anthony Davis was sidelined with an injury. Davis had 27 points and 14 rebounds in his return to the lineup and Los Angeles hung on to beat the Boston Celtics 96-95 on Saturday night when Daniel Theis missed a follow shot at the buzzer. Montrezl Harrell added 16 points for the Lakers, who lost in Detroit on Thursday when Davis rested a bruised right quadriceps. Walker missed the first 12 games of the season recovering from a procedure on his left knee and Tatum missed multiple games earlier this month with COVID-19.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Payton Pritchard wasn't there last season when the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. Pritchard's putback with two-tenths of a second left capped a wild finish, and the Celtics beat the Heat 107-105 in the first matchup this season of last year's East finalists. Jimmy Butler had 26 points for Miami, which got 16 points from Duncan Robinson, 15 points from Bam Adebayo and 14 from Goran Dragic. The Heat cut the lead to eight by halftime, part of what became a 39-17 run that saw Miami lead by five in the third quarter.

Oregon forward Eugene Omoruyi (2) shoots a free throw against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 in Omaha, Neb. 21 Oregon, validating coach Cuonzo Martin's belief that a Tigers team that returned four starters is poised to move up in the Southeastern Conference. Xavier Pinson scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and Missouri overcame a mid-game lull and late Oregon flurry to beat the Ducks 83-75 on Wednesday night. He and Martin squared off in Missouri Valley Conference games in the building from 2008-10 when Martin coached Missouri State. Oregon plays Seton Hall in Omaha on Friday.

Toppin is the lone unanimous first-team choice to The Associated Press men's college basketball All-America team, Friday, March 20, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)The college basketball season came to an emphatic, dramatic end with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. He is Dayton's first first-team AP All-American. A preseason AP All-American, the 6-2 guard averaged 21 points per game, 17th nationally, with 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25