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NBA roundup: Raptors end Hawks’ home winning streak

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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ATLANTA — The Toronto Raptors did something Friday that no other team has done since the day after Christmas — beat the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. And they did it emphatically.

Guards DeMar DeRozan and Lou Williams combined for 47 points, fueling a 105-80 rout of the Hawks in a battle of the teams with the best records in the Eastern Conference.

The loss snaps a 12-game home winning streak for Atlanta. It’s also the third loss in the last four games for the Hawks (43-12), who have lost back-to-back contests for the first time since November.

DeRozan scored the Raptors’ first eight points and finished with 21. Williams, an Atlanta native and a former Hawk, came off the bench for 26 points.

Toronto (37-17) has won four straight and trails the Hawks by 5 1/2 games in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Atlanta turned it over 22 times and shot 33 percent from the floor.

Pacers 106, 76ers 95

PHILADELPHIA — Indiana guard Rodney Stuckey scored 30 points off the bench, and guard C.J. Miles added 17 points to aid the Pacers’ win.

The Pacers, who have won their last four road games, led for all but 13 seconds of the first quarter. They were ahead by as many as 24 points and shot 48.2 percent from the floor.

With their fifth win in six games, the Pacers (22-33) sit only 1 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie center Nerlens Noel carried Philadelphia, just missing the first triple-double of his career with 12 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots in 33 minutes.

Magic 95, Pelicans 84

ORLANDO, Fla. — Second-year guard Victor Oladipo scored 22 points in leading Orlando over the slumping Pelicans.

Magic center Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and forward Evan Fournier, starting in place of injured Tobias Harris, had 16 points.

The Pelicans (27-27) lost their fourth consecutive game as they struggle to stay in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot.

All-Star forward Anthony Davis, who had scored at least 20 points in each of his previous 13 games, had only 13 points and 11 rebounds. He had missed the previous two games with shoulder bruise.

Heat 111, Knicks 87

NEW YORK — The under-manned Miami Heat — using just nine players, eight of whom scored in double figures – beat the Knicks easily.

The Heat (23-30) did not have guards Goran and Zoran Dragic, acquired from the Phoenix Suns on Thursday as part of three-team trade. Miami was also without its starting center Chris Bosh. He didn’t make the trip due to an illness and went to a hospital Thursday night to undergo tests regarding his lungs.

However, the Heat was buoyed by the return of guard Dwyane Wade, who scored 12 points in 22 minutes after missing seven games with a strained hamstring.

Rookie guard Langston Galloway paced the Knicks with 19 points.

Pistons 100, Bulls 91

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Greg Monroe and Caron Butler had 20 points apiece and Andre Drummond dominated inside with 18 points and 20 rebounds as the depleted Pistons surprised Chicago.

Detroit had only 10 players in uniform after dealing away four players just before Thursday’s trade deadline. Pistons rookie point guard Spencer Dinwiddle contributed 12 points and nine assists in his first career start.

Shooting guard Jimmy Butler’s 30 points led the Bulls (34-21), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Cavaliers 127, Wizards 89

WASHINGTON — Forward LeBron James scored 28 points in 25 minutes and guard Kyrie Irving had 25 as the Cavaliers returned from the All-Star break with a dominating win.

Irving scored 18 points in the first half as the surging Cavaliers (34-22) led by as many as 40 points.

The Cavaliers went 14-2 over their final 16 games before the break despite losing 113-98 at the Chicago Bulls in their final contest.

Forward Nene and guard John Wall each scored 18 points for the Wizards (33-22).

Timberwolves 111, Suns 109

MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves got 28 points from guard Kevin Martin to get their fourth win of their past six games.

Martin’s short floater in the lane gave the Wolves the lead for good with 3:38 remaining.

Phoenix, which dropped out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West just before the All-Star break, have now lost six of seven.

Suns forward Markieff Morris led all scorers with 31 points as all five Phoenix starters finished in double figures.

Bucks 89, Nuggets 81

MILWAUKEE – Shooting guard Khris Middleton scored 15 points and center John Henson had 14 to help Milwaukee extend its winning streak to four games.

The first of Middleton’s two 3-pointers came with 3:22 left in the third quarter, capping a 12-2 run and giving the Bucks their first lead of the game.

Forward Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 19 points.

Denver was without shooting guard Arron Afflalo, who was dealt Thursday to Portland, and point guard Ty Lawson, who did not play for disciplinary reasons.

Jazz 92, Trail Blazers 76

SALT LAKE CITY — Forward Gordon Hayward scored 20 points and guard Trey Burke added 19 points off the bench to help Utah run away from Portland.

Forward Derrick Favors added 16 points and nine rebounds for Utah (20-34), which snapped a five game losing streak in their series with Portland.

Guard Damian Lilliard scored 19 points, forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 and guard Wesley Matthews chipped in 13 for the Blazers.

Hayward scored 10 points in the third quarter, and his final basket, a 3-pointer that came as part of a 22-5 run, put the Jazz ahead for good at 56-53.

Mavericks 111, Rockets 100

DALLAS — The Mavericks beat Houston for the first time this season after losing their previous two games against the Rockets.

Backup point guard Devin Harris scored 17 and dished out seven assists to pace a balanced team effort for the Mavericks.

Dallas’ bench accounted for 51 points, 24 rebounds and 14 assists on the second night of a back-to-back coming out of the All-Star break. The Mavericks (37-20) were blown out Thursday night at Oklahoma City.

Houston guard James Harden topped all scorers with 26 points.

Kings 109, Celtics 101

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Center DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 15 rebounds, leading Sacramento over Boston in their first game under coach George Karl.

Small forward Rudy Gay added 28 points for the Kings, who overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit to win despite committing 24 turnovers. Point guard Avery Bradley scored 28 points to lead four players who scored in double figures for Boston. Center Tyler Zeller scored 22 points.

The Kings hired Karl during the All-Star break, signing him to a four-year, $15 million deal. Karl replaced Tyrone Corbin, who went 7-21 after taking over

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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