NBA ROUNDUP
Bulls 119, Hornets 111
Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Chicago beat Charlotte in overtime Friday night, snapping a 10-game losing streak. Former New London High School star Kris Dunn had 20 points, 12 assists and three steals for the Bulls. Markkanen knocked down 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. Robin Lopez had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Justin Holiday scored 17 points and David Nwaba chipped in with 11. Dwight Howard led Charlotte with 25 points and 20 rebounds. Former UConn star Kemba Walker scored 20 points and Marvin Williams had 17 for the Hornets. The Bulls used an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter, claiming an 83-79 lead to set up a frantic final few minutes. Walker forced overtime with a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining, but the Bulls took quick control in the extra period. Chicago scored first and Howard tied it with a free throw before the Bulls took the lead for good on a layup by Dunn with 2:35 left.
Pacers 106, Cavaliers 102
Victor Oladipo had 33 points and eight rebounds and Indiana beat Cleveland to end the Cavaliers' winning streak at 13 games. Indiana has won three straight, nine of 12 and is the first team to beat the Cavaliers 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 teams went toe to toe all night, trading jabs, leads and momentum swings. But Indiana's closing flurry finally stopped Cleveland. The Pacers used an 11-2 run late in the third quarter to retake the lead and Cleveland never regained the upper hand. It sure wasn't easy, though. 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 103-97 with 1:01 left. The Cavs again made it a one-possession on Smith's 3 with 10 seconds to go. This time, Corey Joseph made two free throws, Love missed a 3, and Myles Turner grabbed the rebound to seal the win.
Warriors 102, Pistons 98
Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 36 points in the third quarter, and Golden State completed an undefeated road trip with a victory over Detroit. The Warriors went 6-0 on this 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. Golden State went 1 for 12 from 3-point range in the first half but took control by outscoring Detroit 31-17 in the third quarter. Thompson had 21 points. Avery Bradley scored 25 points for the Pistons, who have lost five straight. Detroit led 50-46 at halftime.
Nuggets 103, Magic 89
Kenneth Faried scored 20 points and Denver rebounded from a poor first quarter to 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 had a 53-16 advantage in bench scoring en route to its second road victory since Oct. 29. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic (11-16) with 21 points and 17 rebounds.