Wednesday around the NBA

Magic 98, Bulls 91

ORLANDO, FLA.

Elfrid Payton had 22 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds for his second straight triple-double, and Orlando rallied for a victory over Chicago. Evan Fournier added 20 points to help Orlando erase a 13-point, second-half deficit and snap a two-game losing streak. The fading Bulls have lost three straight and four of their last five games. They entered the night tied with Detroit for seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Chicago but missed some big shots down the stretch.

Heat 108, Hornets 101

MIAMI

Dion Waiters scored 24 points, Goran Dragic added 22 points and 10 assists, and Miami moved within a half-game of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by beating Charlotte. Luke Babbitt scored 12 points, Hassan Whiteside had 10 points and 15 rebounds, and James Johnson added 10 points for Miami, which is 20-4 in its last 24 games — the NBA’s best record in that span. Miami outscored Charlotte 27-15 in the final quarter.

Kemba Walker scored 33 points for Charlotte, which got 16 from Nicolas Batum, 14 from Marvin Williams and 12 from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Hawks 110, Nets 105

ATLANTA

Dennis Schroder scored 31 points, Paul Millsap added 24 and Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Brooklyn. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which had lost six of eight to fall three games behind fourth-place Toronto in the Eastern Conference. Sean Kilpatrick scored 27 points, Brook Lopez had 18 and Jeremy Lin 16 for Brooklyn, the NBA’s worst team. The Nets were trying to win consecutive games for the first time since last March 24-26.

Bucks 104, Knicks 93

MILWAUKEE

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half to help Milwaukee overcome a third-quarter deficit and beat New York. The Bucks extended their winning streak to four games with the win, moving to within a half-game of Chicago for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo also added 13 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Khris Middleton finished with 18 points and Greg Monroe had 17. Derrick Rose led the Knicks with 26 points, scoring 20 of them in the second half. He was 13 of 16 from the field.

Timberwolves 107, Clippers 91

MINNEAPOLIS

Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 14 rebounds and Minnesota beat Los Angeles. Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points, and Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Timberwolves, who were well-rested after having their game against Portland on Monday postponed because of condensation on the court. The Wolves held Los Angeles to 42 percent shooting and scored 23 points off of 17 turnovers. DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers.

Pacers 115, Pistons 98

INDIANAPOLIS

Paul George scored 13 of his 21 points in the third quarter to lead Indiana to a blowout win over Detroit. The Pacers swept the four-game season series and moved two games in front of Detroit in the playoff chase. Tobias Harris had 22 points and Stanley Johnson had a season-high 17 for the Pistons. Indiana kept Detroit at arm’s length most of the night after scoring the first eight points and still led 58-50 at halftime.

Jazz 115, Rockets 108

HOUSTON

Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward each scored 23 points to help Utah beat Houston for their fourth straight victory. James Harden had 35 points for the Rockets, who dropped their second in a row. The Rockets trailed by double digits for much of the game as they struggled from 3-point range. Houston was just 8 of 32 to end a streak of 18 straight games with at least 10 3-pointers. A pair of free throws by Harden cut Utah’s lead to four with less than two minutes remaining, but Joe Johnson hit a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired on the other end to make it 110-103.

Raptors 94, Pelicans 87

NEW ORLEANS

Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Toronto emerged with a victory over New Orleans, who played without All-Star forward Anthony Davis during the second half. The Pelicans announced that Davis hurt his left wrist, an injury that appeared to occur when he crashed to the court during the Pelicans’ final possession of the first half. Davis was fouled by Normal Powell as he tried to catch an alley-oop pass. Davis, who shoots right-handed, made two free throws after the foul, but never emerged from the locker room after halftime in a game that was close most of the way.

Spurs 114, Kings 104

SAN ANTONIO

Manu Ginobili had 19 points, David Lee added 18 points and 10 rebounds and San Antonio rallied without Kawhi Leonard to beat Sacramento. San Antonio won its ninth straight and extended its league record for 50-win seasons to 18 straight, the longest in league history. Sacramento lost its sixth straight despite a season-high 26 points from Tyreke Evans and 15 from rookie Skal Labissiere.

Associated Press