Spurs still perfect at home; Butler fires 53 to lift Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives around San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in San Antonio. San Antonio won 99-95. AP Photo
LOS ANGELES—The San Antonio Spurs remained unbeaten at home this season, surging late to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-95 in an NBA heavyweight showdown Thursday.
Point guard Tony Parker scored 24 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20 as the Spurs improved to 23-0 at home this season — and won their 32nd straight at the AT&T Center in a streak of dominance dating back to March 12 last year, when they fell in overtime to the Cavs.
Parker scored 18 of his points in the first half, helping the Spurs stay afloat in the face of a strong Cleveland start.
READ: NBA: Spurs beat Nets, equal best start in franchise history
Leonard took over after the interval, scoring 16 points in the second half and also holding Cleveland superstar LeBron James to seven points after halftime.
Leonard also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. Reserve forward David West scored 13 points, including two big baskets in the first 1:07 of the fourth quarter as the Spurs took the lead for good.
Cleveland, who fell to 27-10, saw their eight-game winning streak snapped despite having all five starters score in double figures.
That started with 23 points from James, with center Tristan Thompson adding a season-high 18 points and 13 rebounds.
At 35-6 the Spurs are second in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors, who were also trying to remain unbeaten at home when they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in Oakland on Thursday.
Butler’s 53 drives Bulls
Chicago’s Jimmy Butler scored a career-high 53 points to spearhead the Bulls’ 115-111 come-from-behind overtime triumph over the 76ers in Philadelphia.
Butler connected on 15 of 30 shots from the floor and 21 of 25 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out six assists for a Chicago team without center Pau Gasol and guard Derrick Rose.
READ: Butler helps shorthanded Bulls pull away from Knicks
The Bulls, who trailed by 24 points in the second quarter, snapped a three-game losing streak and denied the woeful 76ers a rare victory.
Butler is the fourth player in Bulls history to score more than 50 points in a game, after the legendary Michael Jordan, Jamal Crawford and Chet Walker.
Expanding horizons?
Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and the Raptors escaped with a 106-103 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena in London.
Backup point guard Cory Joseph connected on nine of his 11 shots from the field to score 19 points for a Raptors team who notched their fourth straight victory.
Guard Victor Oladipo scored 27 points and forward Evan Fournier added 21 for Orlando, who fell for the sixth time in seven games but made it close for the London crowd.
Oladipo hit a jumper with 32.9 seconds left in regulation to knot the score at 96. The Raptors built a five-point edge in the extra session and held off the Magic when Nik Vucevic’s half-court shot bounced off the rim as time expired.
The contest was the sixth NBA regular-season game to be played in London, and commissioner Adam Silver said the league would “look closely” at the possibility of taking a game to Paris, calling France a “fantastic basketball market.”
