No Bull for King & Cavs
CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 34 points, Kevin Love added 27 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 12th straight home game, 115-112 over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night as injured point guard Isaiah Thomas moved even closer to his return.
James had 11 points in the fourth quarter and dropped a pair of free throws with 11.1 seconds left as the Cavs won for the 19th time in 21 games and ended Chicago’s seven-game winning streak.
With Cleveland’s Jae Crowder guarding him closely, Chicago’s Denzel Valentine was short with a tying 3-pointer in the final second.
Dwyane Wade had three steals and two blocks in the fourth quarter for Cleveland, which improved to 3-0 against the Bulls this season.
Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points, Valentine had 18 and Nikola Mirotic 15 for the Bulls, who lost for the first time since Dec. 6. Chicago’s win streak followed a 10-game losing skid.
The Bulls battled back from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth and were within four at 111-107 when James, who has been so clutch in the fourth quarter all season, sank a fadeaway baseline jumper. Chicago pulled to 113-112 on Valentine’s layup before James made his two free throws and Cleveland got the key defensive stop.
RAPTORS 114, SIXERS 109: DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 45 points and the Toronto Raptors overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 114-109.
DeRozan also set a career high with six 3-pointers. His jumper with 4:13 left put the Raptors ahead to stay after they trailed 76-54 early in the third quarter.
He hit two free throws with 53 seconds left after Philadelphia’s Robert Covington missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt, and then two more with 6.4 seconds left put it away.
Kyle Lowry added 23 points to help the Raptors win their fifth straight and 11th in 12 games.
Ben Simmons scored 20 points and had seven of the Sixers’ 23 turnovers in their fourth straight loss.
SUNS 97, GRIZZLIES 95: Former Memphis guard Troy Daniels hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds to play to give Phoenix the lead, and the host Suns held off the Grizzlies for their third victory in four games.
T.J. Warren led the Suns with 27 points, and Daniels — acquired from the Grizzlies in September — added 14 off the bench. Phoenix won at home for the first time since Nov. 19 against Chicago. —Associated Press