AROUND THE NBA

AROUND THE NBA

Saturday’s games

Deron Williams intends to sign with Cavs

Free agent guard Deron Williams has cleared waivers and told the Cleveland Cavaliers he intends to sign with them. Williams, a five-time All-Star, was waived earlier this week by Dallas. He will give the defending NBA champions a playmaker they’ve needed all season and one LeBron James demanded.

Bulls 117, Cavaliers 99

CLEVELAND

Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler recorded a triple-double, leading the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played without LeBron James. James missed the game with an illness, and Cleveland struggled as it often does when the four-time MVP doesn’t play. The Cavaliers are 4-19 without James since he returned to Cleveland in 2014, including 0-4 this season. Chicago has won all three games against Cleveland this season. It took advantage of James’ absence to win its fourth straight overall. Wade was 9 of 18 from the field and had 10 assists with eight rebounds. Butler had 18 points, including 13 in the third quarter, to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 34 points, hitting 13 of 25 from the field.

Hornets 99, Kings 85

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.

Frank Kaminsky had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings to end a five-game losing streak. The Hornets went ahead late in the first quarter and led the rest of the way for their second win in 14 games. The Kings never got going offensively, and Charlotte led by 23 points in the second half while ending their 12-game road skid. Marvin Williams scored 16 points and Nicolas Batum had 15 for the Hornets. Ben McLemore led the Kings with 18 points and Buddy Hield had 15 in his second game since being acquired from New Orleans in a trade for DeMarcus Cousins. Anthony Tolliver and Tyreke Evans had 11 points each. Sacramento had won five of its previous six games and now trails eighth-place Denver by 1 1/2 games.

Magic 105, Hawks 86

ORLANDO, FLA.

Terrence Ross scored 24 points, Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks to snap a two-game skid. Ross played his second game with Orlando after coming over from Toronto in a trade for Serge Ibaka and gave Orlando the shooting touch it has lacked all season. He hit 10 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Orlando also got double-digit production from Aaron Gordon (18 points) and Elfrid Payton (15). Payton was just short for his fourth career triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists despite not playing at all in the fourth quarter. Tim Hardaway Jr. led five Hawks in double figures with 15 points.

Knicks 110, 76ers 109

NEW YORK

Carmelo Anthony made a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the New York Knicks a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks blew a 17-point lead and fell behind by one when Jahlil Okafor scored with 9 seconds remaining. But Anthony dribbled left after a timeout, pulling up over Robert Covington to cap his 37-point performance. The Knicks then intercepted the 76ers’ inbounds pass to hold on and snap their two-game losing streak. Derrick Rose added 18 points and Justin Holiday had 14 for the Knicks, who won for just the third time in 11 games. They played without starters Kristaps Porzingis (sprained right ankle) and Joakim Noah (sore left hamstring).

Heat 113, Pacers 95

MIAMI

Hassan Whiteside scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Dion Waiters added 22 points and the red-hot Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers. Goran Dragic added 21 points and James Johnson had 15 for Miami, which outscored Indiana 30-16 in the fourth. The Pacers played most of the second half without All-Star forward Paul George, who was ejected after getting two technicals on separate plays early in the third quarter.

Associated Press