Brown scores 43, Tatum has triple-double and Celtics run away from Heat, 147-129

MIAMI (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 43 points, Jayson Tatum had his first triple-double of the season and the Boston Celtics rode the strength of a record-setting first quarter to beat the Miami Heat 147-129 on Wednesday night.

Tatum finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for Boston, which scored 53 points in the first quarter — a franchise record that tied the second-highest total for an opening quarter in NBA history. Sam Hauser added 23 for the Celtics, who are 31-0 when scoring at least 117 points this season and are 10-1 in their last 11 games following a loss.

The Celtics led by as many as 27, then saw the lead trimmed to as little as nine early in the fourth quarter. Boston (51-25) holds the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference race, four games behind No. 1 Detroit.

Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which tied a franchise record by hitting 24 3-pointers. The Heat made 24 on three other occasions.

Davion Mitchell scored 21, while Tyler Herro and Pelle Larsson each scored 18 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 for the Heat (40-37).

Miami remained in the No. 10 spot in the East play-in race. The Heat are a half-game behind No. 8 Orlando and No. 9 Charlotte, teams both with 40-36 records.

The Celtics made 11 of their first 13 shots on the way to the sizzling start, then closed the first quarter on a 24-3 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 20-point lead — and that burst came in just over four minutes.

Boston's lead was 80-57 at halftime and the Celtics scored the first four points of the second half to push the margin to 27.

Celtics: Visit Milwaukee on Friday.

Heat: Host Washington on Saturday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh, right, passes the ball to center Luka Garza (52) past Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) defends Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) blocks a shot by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, right, dunks over Miami Heat guard Dru Smith, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) moves down the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — It’s a long way from Washington, has a small population and hasn't backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years.

Yet President Donald Trump on Tuesday will devote a big chunk of his dwindling time ahead of crucial midterm elections to head all the way to Alaska — attempting to bolster a Republican incumbent senator in another sign of GOP fears about retaining control of Congress after Election Day on Nov. 3.

Trump is headlining a rally for Sen. Dan Sullivan in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Anchorage — famous for being the hometown of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the headquarters of the Iditarod sled dog race across the state.

Trump's stop is part of a western swing also taking him to rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday.

“I’m right now going to Alaska to try and help Dan Sullivan. That’s a long way away," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for the trip on Tuesday. "I would only do it if I thought he was good. And he’s very good. And so, I’m going to Alaska to help Dan Sullivan, and then I’m stopping in numerous places.”

Democrats last won a Senate seat in Alaska in 2008, and the state hasn't elected a governor from that party since 1998. The only time Alaska didn’t vote Republican for president was during Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide 1964 reelection.

Yet high gasoline prices from the Iran war and persistently elevated inflation have damaged Trump's approval ratings enough to leave Democrats dreaming of Alaska upsets.

Seeking his third Senate term, Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman running to put “Alaska First,” emphasizing cost-of-living issues.

Alaska pollster Ivan Moore said he's seen a decline in Trump's support statewide that mirrors the president's falling approval ratings nationally — meaning the Senate race may be decided by Trump 2024 voters who are now unsure they still back him.

“The visit is certainly appropriate. Whether the visit will be effective or not is another matter," said Moore, who said when he first heard that Trump would visit Alaska, he didn't believe it would actually happen.

The Trump administration has prioritized the opening of more of Alaska to oil and gas drilling. Vice President JD Vance already campaigned in Fairbanks for Sullivan.

The senator also recently joined Trump in the Oval Office where the president announced a $54 billion investment by South Korea's government into an Alaska natural gas project. That's despite South Korea saying the deal, and its total value, haven't been finalized.

Still, Trump trekking four time zones west to get to Sullivan’s home turf — an unusually long trip so close to the midterms — is his strongest show of support.

Alaska is home to around 740,000 people, making it slightly less populous than Denver. It ranks 48th out of 50 states in population, smaller than all but Vermont and Wyoming.

Trump nonetheless headlined a 2022 rally in Anchorage opposing Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski after she voted to convict him on a charge of incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, who challenged Murkowski that year, but that didn't stop incumbent Murkowski from winning reelection.

In Wasilla, Max Christensen was waiting in line for the rally and said he hoped to hear more specifics from Trump about the natural gas project, and said he was “really curious just to see how he’s going to handle things like inflation and gas prices and things like that.”

Christensen, 22, said he thinks Trump has been a great president “despite all his flaws and stuff" adding that “I think he really does genuinely care about the people of the United States of America.”

Trump has complained about Alaska’s unique elections system. The state has open primaries, in which the four top vote-getters — regardless of party affiliation — advance to the general election, which uses ranked choice voting.

That's led to a scenario where there also will be another Dan Sullivan on the ballot on Nov. 3: retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, whom Trump and other allies of Sen. Sullivan have called a sham candidate. Dan J. Sullivan has denied this.

At his rally, Trump also plans to stump for Republican Rep. Nick Begich. Begich is facing a competitive challenge from Bill Hill, an independent.

Alaska has a history of rewarding candidates with an independent streak — something Vance acknowledged during his trip to Fairbanks last week. “In very deep red years, Alaska is competitive. In very deep blue ​years, Alaska is still competitive,” Vance said. “I think it’s just a reality of the politics of the ‌state.”

Independence has been hard to find in the Republican Party where Trump for years had total control. Some Republicans facing tough elections have begun tiptoeing away from Trump on key issues like Iran and tariffs, but not Sullivan, who has been vocal in supporting both.

In a post last week, Trump questioned why three Republicans were running against a Democrat for governor. “How stupid are we to do this?” he said on social media. This comes at the same time state Republican party leaders are urging voters to rank Republicans on the ballot and leave the Democrats blank.

“We want to be clear: we do not support ranked choice voting. It is a confusing, burdensome and costly voting scheme,” party leaders, including GOP chair Carmela Warfield, said in a statement Saturday. “That said, ranked choice voting is the system Alaska will use for the 2026 General Election, and we must work within it for this election to keep Alaska’s recent momentum going strong.”

Trump has also triggered a trade war with Canada, which shares a 1,500-plus-mile (2,450-kilometer) border with Alaska and is among the state's most important trading partners.

The U.S. banned nearly $1 billion worth of imports from its neighbor to the north — including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles — after previously imposing 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian products. Canada has responded with reciprocal bans and its own import levies, and the back-and-forth could raise prices for Alaska consumers.

Making Canada an enemy of sorts is "discomforting" for many Alaskans, said pollster Moore.

“We associate, I think, probably more closely with the Canadians — more than a lot of the Lower 48," he said.

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump waves from the stairs of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, tosses torn paper into the air as speaks at a campaign rally before Vice President JD Vance at Fairbanks International Airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Vice President JD Vance listens as Sen/ Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to reporters at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright applaud. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)