MONDAY’S GAMES
HOME team in caps.
CAVALIERS 112, Pistons 90: LeBron James scored 31 points before taking a seat on the bench, Larry Nance Jr. reached career highs with 22 points and 15 rebounds in his first start for Cleveland, and the Cavaliers closed a disappointing five-game homestand on a positive note with a win over the Pistons, who haven’t won on the road in nearly two months.
PACERS 92, Bucks 89: Bojan Bogdanovic tied his season high with 29 points and grabbed a key jump ball late to lift the Pacers over the Bucks. Thaddeus Young had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Victor Oladipo finished with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds along with 10 turnovers.
HEAT 125, Suns 103: Hassan Whiteside had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Goran Dragic scored 17 and the Heat moved into the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference by topping the Suns. Whiteside had his highest-scoring game since Jan. 29, making 10 of his 13 shots. He averaged only 12.2 points on 48-percent shooting in his most recent 12 games.
Celtics 105, BULLS 89: Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, and the Boston Celtics pounded the Bulls even though Kyrie Irving sat out because of a sore left knee. Even without their All-Star guard, the Celtics took control right from the start and led by as many as 37 en route to their fifth win in six games. Jayson Tatum added 14 points, while Al Horford and Terry Rozier scored 13 apiece for Boston.
Grizzlies at SPURS (late): The Spurs are in dire need of a victory after losing five of their past six games, and might have found the right team to get one against. The Spurs square off with the hapless and short-handed Grizzlies on Monday in San Antonio, Texas.
Magic at JAZZ (late): The Jazz have won 15 of 19 games since he came back and are on a two-game winning streak going into their clash with Orlando on Monday night. Rudy Gobert has played a major role in reviving Utah.
Blazers at LAKERS (late): The Blazers and Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season heading into their game Monday night. The Blazers have won a season-high six in a row and the Lakers a season-best five straight. Portland has won 14 consecutive games overall against Los Angeles