SATURDAY’S OTHER NBA GAMES

SATURDAY’S OTHER NBA GAMES

Bulls 113, Hawks 97

ATLANTA

Robin Lopez scored 20 points, Lauri Markkanen added 19 and the Chicago Bulls easily beat the Atlanta Hawks. They never trailed, taking an 11-pont lead midway through the first quarter on Lopez’s dunk and going up 17 on Markkanen’s dunk in the closing seconds of the first half. The closest Atlanta got in the third was 10 points on John Collins’ dunk. The lead swelled to 25 midway through the fourth on Portis’ 3. Dennis Schroder scored 18 points and Dewayne Dedmon had 11 for Atlanta. Chicago did as it pleased in the first half, dishing out 18 assists on 21 field goals to begin the third quarter with a 55-38 lead. They scored the first 14 points in the paint on five dunks, and Atlanta had no one capable inside to defend Lopez, who had 16 before intermission on 8 for 9 shooting. Portis finished with 14 points and Justin Holiday had 13 for the Bulls.

Pelicans 111, Grizzlies 104

NEW ORLEANS

Jrue Holiday scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony Davis had 21 points and 12 rebounds but did not score his first points of the second half until he dunked with 1:15 to go in the game, giving the Pelicans a 108-102 lead. Darius Miller added 12 points in a reserve role for New Orleans, which never trailed but very nearly blew a 21-point lead. Trailing by 15 at halftime, Memphis scored the first 13 points of the third quarter, part of a 16-2 run to open the half that trimmed New Orleans’ lead to a single point with most of the third quarter remaining.

Heat 106, Hornets 105

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Kelly Olynyk scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a free throw with 0.2 seconds left, to help the Miami Heat erase a five-point deficit in the final 34 seconds and stun the Charlotte Hornets. Wayne Ellington had 26 points on six 3-pointers, Joe Johnson had 22 points and Olynyk was brilliant down the stretch. Nic Batum scored a season-high 26 points and Kemba Walker had 22 for Charlotte, which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Charlotte led 105-100 when Johnson got free for a dunk. The Hornets inbounded the ball to Batum, but Josh Richardson ripped it from his hands and passed to Johnson, who knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing to tie. After a timeout, Walker missed a driving layup, and Olynyk grabbed the rebound and drove the length of the court. He was fouled by Dwight Howard on a disputed reach-in call and made the second of two free throws. The Heat deflected the ensuing inbound pass as time expired.

Rockets 116, Warriors 108

HOUSTON

Chris Paul scored 33 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden had 22 points and the Houston Rockets held off the Golden State Warriors to snap their 14-game road winning streak. Harden stepped back from Stephen Curry for a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to make it 114-108 with 1:10 left. Golden State lost away from home for the first time since Nov. 22. The Warriors had won seven straight in Houston. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 26 points, Draymond Green had 21 and Curry added 19 on a night he went 5 of 15 on 3-point attempts. Clint Capela added 18 points for Houston on a night when top reserve Eric Gordon went 0 for 9 from 3-point range and finished with just six points. Golden State led by four before Houston went on a 9-2 run, with the first five points from Paul, to take a 109-106 lead with about three minutes left.

Associated Press