Hornets beat Knicks to snap 8-game skid

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Terry Rozier scored 30 points and the Charlotte Hornets rallied from a 13point deficit to beat the New York Knicks 97-92 on Tuesday night and snap a season-high, eight-game losing streak.

Charlotte (16-31) trailed by 13 points three times in the second quarter before closing within 50-47 at halftime and taking the lead for good late in the third quarter against New York (13-35).

The Hornets hadn’t won since Jan. 4 and their losing streak was the longest for the franchise since the 201415 season.

The game started like many others around the NBA since Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The Hornets won the opening tap and dribbled out a 24-second shot clock violation and the Knicks responded by dribbling out an 8-second backcourt violation. Bryant wore the Nos. 24 and 8 for the Los Angeles Lakers during his career.

Additionally, all Hornets players wore Jumpman Jordan Brand white sleeves with the numbers 8 and 24 on them.

Miles Bridges added 15 points, Malik Monk 13 and Cody Zeller 10 for Charlotte on a night in which reserve Willy Hernangomez had his first double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) of the season. Hernangomez, a former Knick, hasn’t played in 29 of the Hornets’ first 47 games but has now played in six of the last seven, scoring in double figures in three of them.

New York built its 13points leads as Julius Randle scored 12 in the first quarter and 18 in the first half.

But Rozier scored nine points in the second quarter to spark a 26-16 over the final eight minutes of the half as Charlotte pulled within three.

In the second half, Charlotte used balanced scoring to take charge at 84-74 with 3:15 to play.

The Hornets still had to survive a late Knicks surge that closed the margin to four points three times in the final 1:10 and eventually got as close as 95-92 with 10.6 seconds left. Rozier hit eight free throws in the final 40 seconds to keep Charlotte comfortably ahead.

Randle had 24 points and Marcus Morris scored 23 for New York.

Celtics 109, Heat 101: At Miami, Gordon Hayward had 29 points and nine rebounds, Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics led virtually the entire way to beat the Miami Heat.

Kemba Walker added 16 points and eight assists for Boston, which got 11 points from Marcus Smart and a 10-point, 11-rebound effort from Daniel Theis.

Goran Dragic led Miami with 23 points and Jimmy Butler scored 20. Bam Adebayo had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Duncan Robinson scored 12 points for the Heat — who lost at home to an Eastern Conference opponent for the first time in 14 games this season.

Boston outscored Miami 15-0 from 3-point range in the game’s first nine minutes, a big reason why the Celtics took control from the outset and built as much as a 13-point lead in the opening quarter.

Miami took the lead on a pair of occasions in the second, only for a span of a couple minutes. The Celtics took a 53-48 lead into the half and watched Miami score to make it a one- or two-possession game time and time again down the stretch.

But the Heat never held the lead in the second half. Every time they got close, Boston had the answer and Smart’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left put Boston up by eight to all but seal matters.

The tributes to the life of Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash Sunday along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, continued. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Celtics coach Brad Stevens and their staffs wore Bryant’s signature sneakers — a gesture that other NBA coaches made Tuesday as well.

The Heat also displayed the numbers 8 and 24, Bryant’s two jersey numbers in the distinctive Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold, on an electronic sign attached to the basket stanchions.