Oladipo, Pacers end Cavs’ 13-game winning streak
INDIANAPOLIS » Victor Oladipo had 33 points and eight rebounds and the Indiana Pacers beat Cleveland 106-102 on Friday night to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at 13 games.
Indiana has won three straight, nine of 12 and is the first team to beat Cleveland twice this season.
LeBron James had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Cleveland, and Kevin Love added 20 points. The Cavs lost for the first time since Nov. 9 at Houston. They had won seven straight on the road.
The Pacers used an 11-2 run third quarter to retake the lead
Cleveland trailed 93-86 with 9:43 to play and fought fiercely to extend the streak. The Cavs got as close as 96-95 on J.R. Smith’s 3-pointer with 2:48 left.
But Bojan Bogdanovic answered with a 3, Oladipo made one of two free throws and hit down another 3 to extend the lead it 10397 with 1:01 left. WARRIORS 102, PISTONS 98 » Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 36 points in the third quarter and Golden State beat Detroit to complete an undefeated trip.
The Warriors went 6-0 on the trip, playing the final two games without Stephen Curry, who is out with a sprained right ankle.
Detroit had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Reggie Jackson’s wild drive to the basket did not lead to a good shot, and Klay Thompson made two free throws with 5.3 seconds left for the final margin. Avery Bradley scored 25 points for the Pistons. They have lost five straight. BULLS 119, HORNETS 111 » Rookie Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Chicago beat Charlotte to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Markkanen made half of Chicago’s six three-pointers, and the Bulls (4-20) held on in a back-and-forth game that featured 17 lead changes and 20 ties. Neither team led by more than eight.
Kris Dunn scored 20 points, and Robin Lopez had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Dwight Howard led Charlotte with 25 points and 20 rebounds. NUGGETS 103, MAGIC 89 » Kenneth Faried scored 20 points to help Denver beat Orlando.
Will Barton added 19 points, Emmanuel Mudiay had 18 and Malik Beasley 12 for Denver.
After scoring only 14 points in the first quarter, the Nuggets (14-11) dominated the rest of the game, shooting 61 percent (28 for 46) in the second and third quarters. Denver late in the had a 53-16 advantage in bench scoring en route to its second road victory since Oct. 29.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Cavs’ Rose has bone spur in ankle, happy to be back
INDIANAPOLIS » Derrick Rose is ready to start playing basketball in Cleveland again — once he’s healthy.
The oft-injured point guard acknowledged Friday he has a bone spur in his left ankle that contributed to his decision to leave the team Nov. 22.
In his first public comments since ending an almost two-week hiatus, Rose told reporters that he had apologized to his teammates, was content with the Cavaliers and insisted he couldn’t wait to get back on the court.
“I was just figuring things out, thinking about this and that,” Rose said before the Cavs’ morning shootaround in Indianapolis. “But I’m here for my team. I’m here to win. And that’s one of the reasons why I came back.”
Before his departure, Rose had been slowed for weeks by an ankle injury. It was the latest chapter in what has become a frustratingly recurring story.