Chicago puts away slumping Cavaliers
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade had 24 and the host Chicago Bulls beat LeBron James and the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-105, Friday night.
Taj Gibson added a seasonhigh 23 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago. Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds as the balanced Bulls handed the Cavaliers a third loss in a row.
James showed up in a Cubs uniform to honor a World Series bet with his buddy Wade, then scored 27 points. Kyrie Irving added 20 points and eight assists, but the Cavaliers matched their longest losing streak.
Chicago dominated Cleveland, 78-60, in the paint and won despite shooting 3 of 18 on 3-pointers.
The Bulls used a strong third quarter to turn a onepoint halftime deficit into an 88-80 lead. And they withstood several pushes in the fourth to knock off the defending NBA champions.
Other games
Knicks 118, Timberwolves 114: Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, Derrick Rose had 24 and Kyle O’Quinn added 20 points and 13 rebounds as New York defeated visiting Minnesota.
Spurs 107, Wizards 105: Danny Green hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining and then Kawhi Leonard sank a 20-footer with six remaining to seal San Antonio’s win against visiting Washington.
Celtics 97, Kings 92: Al Horford scored 26 points and blocked six shots and Isaiah Thomas scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half as host Boston beat Sacramento.
Pistons 121, Hawks 85: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 23 points and Tobias Harris added 18 as visiting Detroit beat reeling Atlanta.
Magic 105, 76ers 88: Aaron Gordon scored 20 points and Nikola Vuvevic had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists as Orlando cruised to a win in Philadelphia.
Raptors 113, Lakers 80: Kyle Lowry had 24 points and seven assists as Toronto rolled past visiting Los Angeles. The Toronto point guard tied his season high for 3pointers with six.
Clippers 114, Pelicans 96: Blake Griffin had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists as Los Angeles pulled away in New Orleans.