James’ triple-double helps carry Cavaliers
LeBron James scored 33 points as part of a triple-double, Jordan Clarkson had a tie-breaking four-point play with 1:27 left and the Cavaliers beat the Bulls 114-109 in Chiago on Saturday night.
James had 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 15th tripledouble of the season, and Jeff Green added 21 points. Clarkson finished with 19 points to help the Cavaliers salvage a six-game split on their seasonhigh six-game trip.
Denzel Valentine led Chicago with a career-high 34 points, hitting 8 of 11 from long range. The Bulls wiped out a 17-point halftime deficit even though they held out banged-up core players Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn.
“It shows we have a great young core, no matter who’s out there,” Valentine said. “Best player on the planet just put the team on his back.”
Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue spent the second half in the locker room with an illness. Rockets 107, Pelicans 101: James Harden had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and visiting Houston won for the 21st time in 22 games. Spurs 117, Timberwolves 101: LaMarcus Aldridge had 39 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat visiting Minnesota. The Spurs won their third straight to move into fifth place in the Western Conference, five days after dropping to 10th and out of playoff position. Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which fell to sixth in the West.
Grizzlies 101, Nuggets 94: Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Tyreke Evans added 20 and host Memphis snapped a 19-game losing streak, winning for the first time since Jan. 29.
Jazz 103, Kings 97: Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, and Utah won in Salt Lake City for its ninth straight victory and its 21st in its past 23 games. Sacramento lost to Utah for the third time this season despite shooting 14-for-21 from three-point range. Buddy Hield scored 23 points. Trail Blazers 100, Pistons 87: Damian Lillard scored 24 points as all starters for host Portland reached double figures, and Detroit lost for the 13th time in its past 16 games.
Nets 114, Mavericks 106: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 23 points, D’Angelo Russell had 22 and host Brooklyn recovered after blowing a double-digit lead to beat Dallas.
Bucks 122, Hawks 117: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 23 points and host Milwaukee held off Atlanta. Knicks 124, Hornets 101: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, and host New York snapped a nine-game losing streak. New York had five players in double figures in its highest scoring game of the season. The Knicks outscored the Hornets 42-17 in the third. Charlotte was 4-for-23 from the field in the period. Wizards 109, Pacers 102: Bradley Beal scored 19 points, Marcin Gortat had 18 and the Wizards beat Indiana in a possible postseason preview. Host Washington earned its second straight win to move into a tie with Indiana for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.