CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and made a key steal in the closing seconds, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers —without resting LeBron James — to a 99-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. ADVERTISING CLEVELAND — Kyrie
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and made a key steal in the closing seconds, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers —without resting LeBron James — to a 99-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
James was given the night off by coach Tyronn Lue as part of his plans to keep Cleveland’s starters fresh for the playoffs. The Cavs hardly missed their star until the Mavericks stormed back from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Dallas had several chances to take the lead, but the Mavericks missed two open 3-pointers and had a costly turnover before Irving swiped a pass intended for Dirk Nowitzki with 2.9 seconds left. Irving was fouled and made two free throws before Dallas’ Deron Williams hit a 3-pointer at the final horn to conclude a frenzied finish.
Kevin Love had 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavs, who are 4-12 in games without James over the past two seasons.
WARRIORS 121, KNICKS 85
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Golden State extended its record regular-season home winning streak to 50 games with a victory over New York.
Curry shot 8 for 13 from long range and 12 of 20 from the floor overall before sitting out the fourth quarter with his team up big. The reigning MVP hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions late in the first quarter and on two in a row at the end of the third as the Warriors improved to 32-0 at Oracle Arena this season.
Klay Thompson scored 19 points with five 3s and Marreese Speights added 13 with three 3s off the bench as Golden State (61-6) stayed one game ahead of the 1995-96 Bulls’ pace in their record 72-win season.
Carmelo Anthony had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Knicks.
BULLS 117, WIZARDS 96
WASHINGTON — Finally playing as if their chance at a playoff berth was on the line, which it is, Washington picked up its second consecutive lopsided victory over a team just ahead of them in the standings, beating Derrick Rose’s Chicago behind John Wall’s triple-double.
Wall, an All-Star point guard, produced 29 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, outplaying Rose, who returned after missing two games with a strained left groin and finished with 16 points and four assists.
Wall received plenty of help, including 20 points from Bradley Beal and 15 from reserve Garrett Temple, all in the first half, when he shot 5 for 5 on 3-pointers.
Chicago’s Taj Gibson played only 8 minutes and had three points.
THUNDER 130, CELTICS 109
BOSTON — Kevin Durant had 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in just over three quarters, helping Oklahoma City cruise over Boston.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Enes Kanter had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who had lost six of their last 10 games.
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 29 points, and Tyler Zeller had 16. The Celtics lost their third straight after winning six of seven. It was their most lopsided home loss this season.
Durant has scored 20 or more points in 60 of the 61 games he’s played this season, including 53 straight. He came out with just under nine minutes to play.
It was Boston’s second straight loss at TD Garden following a 14-game home winning streak.
CLIPPERS 122, ROCKETS 106
HOUSTON — DeAndre Jordan had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Los Angeles opened up a large halftime lead and never relented en route to a victory over Houston.
Jordan finished 8 of 8 from the floor, with six dunks. JJ Redick added 25 points, including 14 in the first quarter, going 5 of 9 from the 3-point line.
Chris Paul had 15 points and 15 assists for the Clippers (43-24), who shot 56 percent. Jamal Crawford had 14 points and seven assists; and Luc Mbah a Moute, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson each had 12 points as the Clippers snapped a two-game skid.
James Harden led Houston (34-34) with 33 points. Michael Beasley had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Rockets, who shot 49 percent.
TIMBERWOLVES 114, GRIZZLIES 108
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Zach LaVine scored 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Minnesota beat short-handed Memphis.
Memphis pulled within 108-104 with 1:12 remaining but then Towns scored four straight points to stop the rally. Anthony Wiggins had 16 points for the Timberwolves, while Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio added 15 points each. Rubio added 11 assists.
LaVine was 11 of 19 in the game and matched a career high with six 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
Memphis was missing injured players Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Chris Anderson and Vince Carter. The Grizzlies dressed nine players.
Lance Stephenson led Memphis with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while JaMychal Green finished with 18 points. Matt Barnes added 14 points, while Ryan Hollins, Briante Weber and Jarell Martin scored 12 apiece for the Grizzlies. Memphis lost its second straight.
HORNETS 107, MAGIC 99
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum each scored 26 points and Charlotte beat Orlando to finish its homestand with a 6-1 record.
Williams added nine rebounds and four 3-pointers, while Batum had nine assists and seven rebounds for the Hornets, who have won 14 of their last 17. Cody Zeller had his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Kemba Walker chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Hornets are one game behind Miami for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Victor Oladipo had 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter. Brandon Jennings chipped in with 16 points and Andrew Nicholson added 13 for the Magic, who have lost five of their last seven games.
The Hornets led by as many as 26 in the second half.
HAWKS 118, PISTONS 114
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Jeff Teague scored 22 points, including two crucial free throws with 17.9 seconds left, and Atlanta held off Detroit for its sixth win in seven games.
Atlanta went on a 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter to take a 113-104 lead, then let the Pistons back in the game. Marcus Morris cut the lead to two with a three-point play with 18 seconds remaining, but Teague’s pair of free throws made it 118-114, and neither team scored after that.
Andre Drummond had 18 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit, but he went only 8 of 17 from the free throw line, and the Hawks were more than willing to foul him.
Al Horford scored 21 points for Atlanta.
PELICANS 123, KINGS 108
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Anthony Davis had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 21 of his 29 points in the second quarter and New Orleans beat Sacramento to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Pelicans set a season high with 74 points in the first half while completing a four-game sweep of the Kings this season.
Jrue Holiday added 17 points, Tony Douglas scored 11 and newly signed Tim Frazier had a career-high 14 points with nine assists.
DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Sacramento but struggled with his shot most of the night.
