n the league in points with 21 (eight goals, 13 assists) h

PHILADELPHIA -- As the tension of the game goes up, Isaiah Thomas calms down.Thomas scored 12 straight Celtics points late in the fourth quarter and tied his season high with 37 points to lead Boston to a 107-106 victory over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.Avery Bradley added 20 points for Boston, which won its ninth straight game against the 76ers.I just love the fourth quarter, Thomas said. Some guys get a little tight, a little timid. I embrace it. I want to be great. I want to be somebody my teammates can call on when the game is close.The Celtics certainly know they can go to Thomas, who at 5-foot-9 can be described as a little big man. He entered ninth in the NBA in scoring (25.7 ppg) and now has five games of 30 or more points.Were a little bit like, `Thats Isaiah, Boston coach Brad Stevens said. But he has a special ability to score the ball. My advice to anybody is buy League Pass and watch him as much as he can because hes a fun guy to watch.Rookie Dario Saric tied his career high with 21 points while adding 12 rebounds for Philadelphia, which dressed just 10 players. The 76ers lost their sixth straight.Joel Embiid, who leads the 76ers in scoring (18.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg), missed his seventh game as part of the teams rehab plan to not play him on consecutive nights after sitting out the last two seasons with a foot injury.Thomas scored six straight points to make it 98-91 with 3:05 left. The 76ers scored seven of the next nine to pull within 100-98 with just over a minute left. Thomas driving attempt was blocked by Jahlil Okafor and then Saric tied it at 100 with 34 seconds left on a layup that just beat the shot clock.After a timeout, Thomas blew by two defenders for an easy layup that put the Celtics up 102-100 with 30.2 seconds left.Thats what you see with All-Star point guards, Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. Hes hard to guard.Hollis Thompson missed on a drive on Philadelphias ensuing possession. The Celtics got the rebound and Bradley made one of two free throws with 16 seconds left for a 103-100 lead. Sarics tying 3-point attempt fell short and Marcus Smart made a pair of free throws on the other end.PHILLYS FAST STARTThe 76ers led by as many as 11 points in the opening half before taking a 53-45 lead into the break. The key was 3-point shooting. Philadelphia was 9 for 18 from the arc in the opening 24 minutes while the Celtics were 3 for 11.SARICS SURGESaric had his best game as a member of the 76ers, who acquired him after Orlando selected him 12th in the 2014 draft. He played the last two seasons overseas.He was a man down there tonight, Brown said. Youd walk away and say thats a hell of a player for playing 20 games in the NBA.Saric provided the highlight of the night when he sent Bostons Jonas Jerebko tumbling to the floor with a behind-the-back dribble before pulling up and draining an 18-footer.NOT CONNECTINGThe Celtics entered fifth in the league in both 3-pointers made (11.3) and attempts (31.1) per game. But they struggled from the outside against the 76ers, finishing 8 for 26.TIP-INSCeltics: This was the first of four meetings between the teams. Boston will host the next two games, on Jan. 6 and Feb. 15, before returning to Philadelphia on March 19. ... Thomas career high is 38.76ers: Philadelphia wore throwback jerseys from 1966-67 in honor of the 76ers NBA champions from that season. Billy Cunningham, a player on that team who later coached the 76ers to the 1983 NBA title, rang the replica Liberty Bell during pregame festivities. And many members of the team were recognized in a halftime ceremony.UP NEXTCeltics: Look to end a four-game losing streak to the Rockets when they visit Houston on Monday night.76ers: Cap a four-game homestand by hosting Denver on Monday night. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have won without Steven Stamkos before. Theyll now have to do so again.Tampa Bays superstar forward suffered a right knee injury in Tuesdays 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, and the team announced on Wednesday that he is out indefinitely.Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during the teams game against the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night and will remain out of the lineup indefinitely, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement released by the team. We are in the process of evaluating options for repair and rehabilitation and will release more information as it becomes available.Tampa Bays first game without Stamkos will come against Buffalo on Thursday (7 p.m. Eastern).Losing Stamkos for any length of time is obviously a significant blow for the Lightning (10-6-1). Through 17 games, Stamkos was third in the NHL in scoring with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists).Our understanding is that this issue can be repaired and he can get back to full speed, Yzerman said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. It just takes some time. Obviously hes disappointed. Hes going to work his rear end off and hell be back as good as ever.The Lightning have had to persevere without their captain before. He played in only 37 games in 2013-14 due to a broken tibia and missed nearly all of the postseason last year after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. The Lightning did well in his absencee last year, making it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- where Stamkos returned -- before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins.ddddddddddddTampa Bay will have to lean on young standout Nikita Kucherov in Stamkos absence. The 23-year-old is coming off a 30-goal season and was second in the league in points with 21 (eight goals, 13 assists) heading into Wednesdays action. He signed a new three-year, $14.3 million contract just before the start of the season.Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop has never lost in regulation in Buffalo, holding a record of 8-0-1 in nine games along with a .938 save percentage.This will be third game in a five-game road trip for the Lightning. Tampa Bay is in Columbus on Friday before facing Nashville on Monday.The Sabres (5-7-4) hope that a four-game homestand will start to turn things around. Buffalo has a five-game losing streak and is coming off a particularly dispiriting 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.Offense has been an issue for the Sabres all season. Buffalo is last in the league in scoring and has just 10 goals in its past eight games.Weve got to keep pushing forward and weve got to keep finding ways to create the opportunities to get those goals, Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges said. We had some opportunities (against St. Louis), we created some chances but were not burying them. Weve got to keep digging. ' ' '