Around the NBA | Tuesday’s games

Hawks 109, Cavaliers 101

ATLANTA

Paul Millsap took over for Atlanta in the fourth quarter to help hold off a Cleveland comeback and the Hawks beat the Cavaliers, who were without LeBron James. James, celebrating his 30th birthday, was held out with a sore left knee. The Hawks led by 17 points early in the second half but had to hold off a comeback by Cleveland, which had 35 points from Kyrie Irving. After a jam by Tristan Thompson cut the Atlanta lead to 93-90, Millsap scored Atlanta’s next eight points. Millsap led the Hawks with 26 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Jeff Teague had 23 points and 11 assists, and Kyle Korver sank five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points. Thompson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland.

Pistons 109, Magic 86

ORLANDO, FLA.

Jodie Meeks scored 34 points off the bench, shooting 9 for 11 on 3-pointers, and Andre Drummond added 17 points and 22 rebounds to lead the Pistons. Drummond, the NBA’s No. 2 rebounder at 12.8 per game, sat out the final 14 minutes after coming within three rebounds of the league’s season high. The Pistons (8-23) have won three straight for the first time since February last season. Victor Oladipo led the Magic, who were also seeking a third straight win, with 16 points. Tobias Harris added 15 points and eight rebounds. After Meeks made all six of his 3s in the second quarter and scored 20 points in the period, the Pistons opened an 18-point lead in the third. The Magic never again got the deficit under nine.

Mavericks 114, Wizards 87

DALLAS

Monta Ellis scored 20 points in 27 minutes, and the Mavericks beat the Wizards. Nine of Ellis’ points came in the final 2:35 of the second quarter, when the Mavericks outscored the Wizards 36-21 for a 63-45 halftime lead. He shot 8 of 15 and finished with four steals without playing in the fourth quarter. Chandler Parsons had 14 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 13 despite shooting 2 for 8 from the field, and Rajon Rondo had 11 points and five assists. Off the bench, Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 14 points. Charlie Villanueva also had 14. Washington’s John Wall had 11 points and eight assists. Kris Humphries also scored 11, and Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat had 10 apiece. Dallas extended its winning streak to three games and ended the Wizards’ three-game winning streak.

Pelicans 110, Suns 106

NEW ORLEANS

Tyreke Evans scored 24 points, including eight straight for New Orleans in the final 2 minutes, and the Pelicans held off Phoenix to stop the Suns’ winning streak at six games. Anthony Davis had 19 points with a season-high 18 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half for New Orleans. Evans’ step-back jumper with 49.9 seconds left, coupled with a late steal by Dante Cunningham, helped the Pelicans hang on. The Pelicans made their last eight free throws after hitting only 10 of their previous 21 attempts. Evans hit seven of 10 overall. Goran Dragic led Phoenix with 22 points. Eric Bledsoe added 21, and Gerald Green scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. The Pelicans led by as many as 14 in the first quarter, paced by a quick start from Evans, who shot 5 for 10 in the period. Phoenix’s 15-4 surge midway through the third gave the Suns a 77-73 lead.

Nets 96, Bulls 82

CHICAGO

Brook Lopez had a season-high 29 points, Joe Johnson had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Nets snapped the Bulls’ seven-game winning streak. Lopez, playing in just his fifth game since returning from a lower back strain, started in place of Kevin Garnett and was 13 for 21 from the field. Johnson was 8 for 14 from the field. Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls (22-10) with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers. Jimmy Butler, who averaged 26.4 points during the winning streak, had just eight points. Derrick Rose had just four. Brooklyn (15-16) had just one previous win this season against a team with a winning record, a 99-87 win at San Antonio on Nov. 22. During their seven-game streak, the Bulls had averaged 106.6 points on 45.4 percent shooting. But after a 31-point first quarter, they struggled to score the rest of the game.

Grizzlies 95, Spurs 87

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Mike Conley had 30 points and six assists, Marc Gasol added 17 points and the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs. Conley connected on 10 of 13 from the field, and missed only one of his five shots from outside the arc as the Grizzlies won their second straight and claimed at least a tie over the Spurs in the season series. Tayshaun Prince added 12 points for Memphis.

Associated Press