NBA Saturday

NBA Saturday

Cavaliers 116, Hornets 105

CLEVELAND

LeBron James scored 17 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and reached another career milestone as Cleveland won their fourth straight, over Charlotte. James did it all, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds in 43 minutes. He took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 straight during one stretch to help the Cavs hold on. As the final seconds ticked off, James stood at midcourt and spun the ball on his index finger as the crowd roared. James, who moved into ninth place on the career scoring list Friday, recorded his 7,000th assist in the first half, becoming the first frontcourt player in NBA history to reach the plateau.

Grizzlies 110, Warriors 89

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Marc Gasol and Tony Allen scored 19 points each and Memphis rolled over Golden State for their sixth straight win. The Grizzlies led by as many as 30 points in the second half — the biggest advantage by any Warriors opponent this season. Seven Memphis players finished in double figures. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 21 points, while Stephen Curry added 17 points and Ian Clark finished with 10 points. Curry and backcourt starter Klay Thompson (eight points) were a combined 8 of 28 from the field, including 3 of 14 outside the arc.

Rockets 109, Mavericks 87

HOUSTON

James Harden had 18 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds and Houston beat Dallas for their sixth straight win. Eric Gordon added 18 points and Trevor Ariza had 17 to give Houston its first six-game winning streak since Oct. 28-Nov. 6, 2014. Gordon’s 3-pointer extended Houston’s lead to 16 in the fourth quarter before Harrison Barnes hit a basket on the other end. Montrezl Harrell then made an off-balance layup as he was fouled and crashed to the court. He made the free throw to leave Houston up 92-75.

Nuggets 121, Magic 113

ORLANDO, FLA.

Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and Denver defeated Orlando. Jusuf Nurkic added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost their previous two games. Will Barton scored 16. Faried was 9 of 10 from the field and Denver shot 57 percent in sending the Magic to their third straight loss. The Nuggets outscored short-handed Orlando 64-34 in the paint. Magic center Nikola Vucevic did not suit up because of a back injury. Evan Fournier led Orlando with 24 points.

Wizards 110, Bucks 105

WASHINGTON

John Wall had 24 points and 11 assists, Bradley Beal added 20 points, and Washington used a late 11-0 run to beat Milwaukee. Kelly Oubre, Jr. scored a career-high 19 points for the Wizards, who have won three of four.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points and 13 rebounds. His two free throws gave the Bucks a 100-95 lead with 4:28 left, but the Wizards rallied while the Bucks went cold. Wall’s driving layup gave the Wizards a 101-100 lead with 3:03 left.

Pacers 118, Trail Blazers 111

INDIANAPOLIS

Paul George scored a season-high 37 points to lead Indiana over Portland. George made five 3-pointers, and Thaddeus Young hit six 3s while getting 24 points and nine rebounds. Myles Turner added 14 points for the Pacers, who had lost five straight regular season games to Portland. C.J. McCollumn made a career-high seven 3-pointers and had a season-best 34 points for the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard had 33 points behind five 3s. George scored 13 straight points in the fourth quarter for Indiana.

Bulls 105, Heat 100

CHICAGO

Jimmy Butler scored 31 points, Dwyane Wade added 28 against his former team and Chicago held off struggling Miami. Butler scored Chicago’s final 10 points to help the Bulls come out on top after Miami pulled within one. Wade keyed a big third-quarter run in his second game against the Heat, and the Bulls hung on after handing San Antonio its first road loss two nights earlier. Goran Dragic led Miami with 21 points and 11 assists. An energetic Hassan Whiteside added 20 points after being benched for part of Friday’s blowout loss in Cleveland.

Associated Press