NEW YORK — Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers won 106-100 Sunday night to end the eight-game winning streak of the New York Knicks, who wasted a chance to pull within two games of a
NEW YORK — Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers won 106-100 Sunday night to end the eight-game winning streak of the New York Knicks, who wasted a chance to pull within two games of a playoff spot.
NEW YORK — Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers won 106-100 Sunday night to end the eight-game winning streak of the New York Knicks, who wasted a chance to pull within two games of a playoff spot.
Hours after being handed a chance to pull closer to the final spot in the Eastern Conference when Atlanta blew a fourth-quarter lead in Toronto, the Knicks responded with an inept final period of their own after they led by 17 points in the first half.
They couldn’t stop Jack and couldn’t get a basket from Carmelo Anthony, who missed all five shots in the final period and finished with 32 points.
Jack scored 23 in the second half and finished with 10 assists for the Cavaliers, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
SUNS 127
TIMBERWOLVES 120
MINNEAPOLIS — Markieff Morris scored 25 points off the bench to lead the Phoenix Suns to their biggest comeback of the season, a victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Phoenix trailed by 22 in the first half, but shot a season-high 57 percent from the floor to overcome Kevin Love’s 36 points and 14 rebounds. Love fell an assist short of a triple-double and committed a crucial turnover in the final minute.
With the game tied at 118, Love lost the ball in the paint and Eric Bledsoe made a fast-break layup.
Gerald Green, Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker each hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to help the Suns pull within a half-game of eighth-place Memphis in the Western Conference.
The Suns tied a season high by allowing 41 points in the first quarter and trailed 103-93 heading in the final period, but they outscored the Wolves 34-17 in the fourth. Minnesota, meanwhile, blew its largest lead of the season.
RAPTORS 96
HAWKS 86
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 13 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Atlanta Hawks.
DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, Greivis Vasquez had 12 and Terrence Ross 10 as the Raptors avoided their first three-game home losing streak since dropping games against Brooklyn, Miami and Denver between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1. Toronto fell in double-overtime to Oklahoma City on Friday and lost to Phoenix last Sunday.
Lowry, who had 13 points as Toronto erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, has scored 19 points or more in a career-high nine consecutive games.
DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap each scored 17 as the Hawks lost their second straight following a five-game winning streak. Atlanta failed to win a third straight road game after losing its previous 10 away from home.
NUGGETS 105
WIZARDS 102
DENVER — Kenneth Faried had 20 points and Aaron Brooks hit four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds, helping the injury-riddled Denver Nuggets hold off the Washington Wizards.
Randy Foye added 17 for a Nuggets team that was missing J.J. Hickson, who suffered a torn ligament in his right knee Friday. Wilson Chandler also didn’t play (strained left hip) and Jan Vesely didn’t return after bruising his rib cage late in the third quarter.
Bradley Beal scored 21 points as the Wizards wrapped up a four-game road swing with a 1-3 record. Trevor Ariza scored 15 of his 18 points in the first quarter and John Wall added 15, but also had eight turnovers.
Hickson was the latest player to be lost by the Nuggets. They were already without Danilo Gallinari (left ACL), JaVale McGee (broken tibia) and Nate Robinson (left ACL), who all have undergone season-ending operations.
KINGS 124
BUCKS 107
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 12 rebounds and Isaiah Thomas had 30 points and eight assists in the Sacramento Kings’ victory that sent the Milwaukee Bucks to their seventh straight loss.
Cousins made 14 of 19 shots, four of six free throws and added four assists and two steals.
The Kings demonstrated early they would not be overlooking the struggling Bucks. Sacramento led by 23 points after one quarter, took a 70-44 lead into halftime, and were ahead by 34 points after three quarters.
Rudy Gay had 24 points and eight rebounds and Ben McLemore scored 15 points for the Kings, who had dropped four of their past five home games against the Bucks.
O.J. Mayo scored 21 points for Milwaukee.
