Cavaliers snap skid but Smith injured
LeBron James scored 34 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame an injury to J.R. Smith to snap their three-game losing streak with a 116- 112 victory against the Toronto Raptors Monday night at Air Canada Centre.
DeMar DeRozan had 31 points and Kyle Lowry added 24 for Toronto, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. The win was the Cavaliers’ third in a row this season against the Raptors, the team they beat in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals.
Smith left the game with a left knee injury. He landed awkwardly and jammed his knee after making a jump shot with 1:52 to play in the first quarter. After hobbling back down the court in noticeable pain, he lay face down on the floor and thumped the court with his fist in frustration. The Cavaliers responded by calling a timeout and Smith then limped back to the dressing room while biting a towel. Smith did not return to the game and the Cavaliers said X-rays taken at the arena showed no fractures.
Other games
Thunder 102, Hawks 99: Russell Westbrook extended his streak of tripledoubles to six games, leading visiting Oklahoma City to a victory against struggling Atlanta. Westbrook scored 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 12 assists.
Nuggets 106, 76ers 98: Danilo Gallinari scored 24 points and Will Barton had 22, including a big 3-pointer late, to lead visiting Denver to a victory against Philadelphia.
Wizards 118, Nets 113: John Wall scored 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and visiting Washington beat Brooklyn. Rockets 107, Celtics 106: James Harden scored 37 points and Al Horford missed a shot just before the buzzer to allow host Houston to hold on for a victory against Boston.
Spurs 97, Bucks 96: LaMarcus Aldridge was credited for the go-ahead basket with 21.2 seconds left after Giannis Antetokounmpo was whistled for goaltending, completing visiting San Antonio’s rally from 15 points down in a victory against Milwaukee.
Trail Blazers 112, Bulls 110: Damian Lillard had 30 points and seven assists, CJ McCollum scored 24 and visiting Portland beat Chicago, who suspended guard Rajon Rondo for this game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Grizzlies 110, Pelicans 108: Marc Gasol had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, including a game-tying 3-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation and visiting Memphis outlasted New Orleans in two OTs.