NBA: Mavericks rot Cavs; Lakers edge Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love, left, and Dallas Mavericks’ Monta Ellis battle for the ball during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Cleveland. Dallas defeated Cleveland 109-90. AP
CLEVELAND — Monta Ellis scored 20 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 15 and the Dallas Mavericks won their fifth straight game Sunday, a 109-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James, who is out with knee and back soreness, missed his fourth in a row and fifth of the season. The Cavaliers are 1-4 when the four-time MVP doesn’t play and have dropped 5 of 7 overall.
Kevin Love scored a season-high 30 points, but the Cavaliers couldn’t stay with the Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving left in the third quarter with lower back tightness and didn’t return. He was 2 of 9 from the field and scored a season-low six points.
HEAT 88, NETS 84
MIAMI — Chris Bosh scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade scored 10 of his 25 points in the final minutes and the Heat held off Brooklyn to snap a four-game losing streak.
Hassan Whiteside had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks off the bench for Miami, which won for only the seventh time in 19 home games.
Joe Johnson scored 19, Brook Lopez added 16 and Mirza Teletovic had 14 for Brooklyn, which had won six of seven and was seeking to get back over .500 for the first time since Nov. 12.
PISTONS 114, KINGS 95
AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — Brandon Jennings scored 35 points as the Pistons beat the Kings for their fifth straight win.
Andre Drummond had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Greg Monroe had 14 points 11 rebounds for Detroit, which improved to 5-0 since Josh Smith was released in December. Detroit is 10-23.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
SUNS 125, RAPTORS 109
PHOENIX — Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points, fellow guards Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas added 18 apiece and the Suns handed the Raptors their second straight blowout loss.
Seven Suns hit double figures in the team’s highest-scoring non-overtime game this season.
The Raptors, who trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half and 27 in the second, finished a season-long six-game road trip with their two most one-sided losses of the season.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 and Kyle Lowry 19 for the Raptors. Lou Williams and James Johnson added 17 apiece.
Phoenix won for the eighth time in 10 games.
BUCKS 95 KNICKS 82
NEW YORK — Zaza Pachulia had 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks handed the New York Knicks their 11th straight loss.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. had 17 points for the Knicks (5-31), who lost a franchise-record 10th straight home game. They are one overall loss from matching the team’s 1985 record for most consecutive losses.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee (18-17).
LAKERS 88, PACERS 87
LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead short jumper with 12.4 seconds to play to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a comeback victory over Indiana.
Roy Hibbert missed a difficult jumper off a broken play as time expired to end the Lakers’ third win in 10 games.
Bryant scored nine points in the final 2:32 while the Lakers rallied past the Pacers, who blew a 13-point lead in the second half.
