NBA: Love powers Cavaliers past Heat.
Cavaliers 108 Heat 97
CLEVELAND — Kevin Love scored 32 of his 38 points in the first half, LeBron James was ejected for the first time in his career and the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their longest winning streak since 2015 to nine games by downing the Miami Heat 108-97 on Tuesday night.
Love had his way with every defender Miami put on him, finishing 10 of 16 from the field and 14 of 17 on free throws. He scored 22 in the first quarter and the Cavs opened a 27-point lead before halftime.
James added 21 points before he was slapped with two technical fouls by referee Kane Fitzgerald and tossed with 1:59 left in the third quarter and the Cavs leading by 23. It was the first time James was thrown out in 1,082 career games.
Dwyane Wade added 17 points for Cleveland, which has shaken off a slow start and is again playing like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Dion Waiters scored 21 and Bam Adebayo had 19 for the Heat, who had won three in a row. Goran Dragic finished with just seven points — 12 below his team-leading scoring average.
With the Cavs leading 93-70, James drove to the basket and missed a layup while getting bumped by James Johnson and Waiters. James felt there should have been a foul called and he
stormed after Fitzgerald and screamed at the official, who quickly blew his whistle twice and pointed for the superstar to leave the floor.
SUNS 104, BULLS 99
In Chicago, Devin Booker scored 33 points, and Phoenix held on for the road win.
Booker looked just fine after sitting out a game because of inflammation in his right big toe, nailing five 3-pointers and grabbing nine rebounds.
T.J. Warren scored 25 for Phoenix, and Alex Len tied a career high with 18 rebounds. The Suns dominated on the glass 57-41 while snapping a three-game losing streak.
The rebuilding Bulls are a leagueworst 3-16 after dropping their sixth straight.
Justin Holiday made six 3-pointers on his way to 25 points for
Chicago. Kris Dunn added 24 points and eight assists.
BUCKS 112, KINGS 87
In Sacramento, Calif., Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter, helping Milwaukee beat the Kings.
Eric Bledsoe had 21 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Bucks, who won for the second time in five games. Khris Middleton scored 12 points.
Milwaukee led by as many as 36 and won despite not scoring a second-chance point.
Antetokounmpo scored 11 points in the first quarter, but was at his best coming out of halftime. He went 6 for 8 from the field in the third, including a rare 3-pointer.
It was Antetokounmpo’s eighth 30-point game this season.
Milwaukee has won three straight against Sacramento.
WIZARDS 92, TIMBERWOLVES 89
In Minneapolis, Otto Porter Jr. hit a 22-foot jumper with 25 seconds remaining, lifting Washington to the victory.
Washington trailed for nearly the entire fourth quarter. After Porter’s jumper, Minnesota had two shots at the other end but couldn’t convert.
The Wizards got the ball back with 4.2 seconds remaining when the ball went out of bounds off Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson. Officials originally ruled that Minnesota maintained possession, but a review overturned the call and gave the ball to Washington.
Porter led Washington with 22 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota for his league-leading 18th double-double.
JAZZ 106, NUGGETS 77
In Salt Lake City, Derrick Favors scored 24 points, and the Jazz used a dominant second half to pull away from Denver.
Rookie Donovan Mitchell added 16 points as Utah matched a season high with its third straight victory. Jonas Jerebko had 15 and Ricky Rubio finished with 13 points.
The Jazz opened the third quarter with a 20-6 run, and Denver never recovered.
The Nuggets got a little loose with the ball after halftime and turned over the ball seven times in the third.
The Jazz defense was more active and the Nuggets went cold from the field while Utah shot 52.6 percent from the field in the quarter.
The Jazz outscored the Nuggets 58-28 in the second half.