NBA: LeBron James records triple-double in Cavaliers win over Bulls

LeBron James scored 33 points as part of a triple-double, Jordan Clarkson had a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:27 left and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 114-109 on Saturday night.

James had 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 15th triple-double of the season, and Jeff Green added 21 points. Clarkson finished with 19 points to help the Cavaliers salvage a six-game split on their season-high six-game trip.

Denzel Valentine led Chicago with a career-high 34 points, hitting 8 of 11 from long range. The Bulls wiped out a 17-point halftime deficit even though they held out banged-up core players Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, only to come up short in the closing minutes.

Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue spent the second half in the locker room with an illness, another hit for an already short-handed team.

at Wizards 109, Pacers 102: Bradley Beal scored 19 points, Marcin Gortat had 18 and Washington beat Indiana in a possible playoff preview.

Washington earned its second straight win to move into a tie with Indiana for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Wizards also claimed the first tiebreaker by taking two of three in the season series.

Washington went 10 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 54.8 percent from the field overall. Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 16 points for the Wizards, and Markieff Morris added 15.

Reserve Lance Stephenson led Indiana with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Victor Oladipo had 18 points.

Rockets 107, at Pelicans 101: James Harden had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Houston won for the 21st time in 22 games by beating New Orleans.

Harden’s highlights included his usual array of explosive drives and pull-up jumpers, including a 27-foot, straight-on 3 that put the Rockets up by nine with 1:31 left.

Chris Paul added 21 points and Clint Capela had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, winners of four straight since their 17-game winning streak ended against Toronto.

Anthony Davis had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 19 points for New Orleans, which has lost four of five since winning 10 straight.

at Spurs 117, Timberwolves 101: LaMarcus Aldridge had 39 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat Minnesota.

San Antonio won its third straight to move into fifth in the Western Conference five days after dropping to 10th and out of playoff position.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which dropped to sixth in the West.

The Spurs had lost three straight and nine of 11 but are now unbeaten halfway through a six-game homestand.

at Bucks 122, Hawks 117: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 23 points and Milwaukee held on for a win over Atlanta.

The Bucks finished off the Eastern Conference’s worst team with a game-ending 11-5 run, pushing the pace after the Hawks lost ball-handler Dennis Schroder. The guard fouled out with 2:46 left, and was called for a technical foul after exchanging words with an official on the way to the sideline.

Middleton hit the free throw that started the run. The Hawks looked rushed on their next two possessions with a turnover and a blocked shot, allowing the Bucks to brush past them.

Trailing by 13 at one point, Atlanta put up a spirited fight before losing its 50th game of the year. Taurean Prince scored 38 points, while Schroder finished with 18.

at Knicks 124, Hornets 101: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points and New York snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over Charlotte.

New York had five players in double figures in its highest scoring game of the season. Frank Ntilikina had 15 points, Trey Burke scored 14 and Troy Williams finished with 13.

The Knicks outscored the Hornets 42-17 in the third quarter. Charlotte was just 4 of 23 from the field in the period.

Dwayne Bacon led the Hornets with 15 points, and Dwight Howard finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

at Nets 114, Mavericks 106: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 23 points, D’Angelo Russell had 22 and Brooklyn recovered after blowing a double-digit lead to beat Dallas.

DeMarre Carroll had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Caris LeVert and Joe Harris each chipped in 11 points for the Nets, who snapped a three-game skid.

Dallas rookie Dennis Smith Jr. scored 21 points but left with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter after spraining his left ankle. Dwight Powell had 18 points and reserve Yogi Ferrell had 12 points and 12 assists for the Mavericks, who dressed only 10 players.

at Grizzlies 101, Nuggets 94: Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Tyreke Evans added 20 and Memphis snapped a 19-game losing streak with a victory over Denver.

Wayne Selden scored 16 points for Memphis by hitting 6 of 7 shots, including 4 of 5 from outside the arc. Marc Gasol added 14 points as Memphis won for the first time since Jan. 29.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamal Murray finished with 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Denver shot just 37 percent overall and 27 percent from 3-point range.

at Jazz 103, Kings 97: Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, and the Utah Jazz beat the Sacramento Kings 103-97 on Saturday night for their ninth straight victory.

Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Utah, and Ricky Rubio added 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The Jazz (40-30) won for the 21st time in their last 23 games. Sacramento (23-48) lost to Utah for the third time this season despite shooting 14 of 21 from 3-point range. Buddy Hield scored 23 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 12.

at Trail Blazers 100, Pistons 87: Damian Lillard had 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Detroit Pistons 100-87 on Saturday night for their 12th straight victory.

CJ McCollum added 16 points for the Blazers, who have the longest current winning streak in the league. It’s the longest streak for the franchise since it also won 12 in a row in 2002.

Portland (43-26) also earned its season-best ninth straight home win — a timely streak as it tries to hold on to third place in the Western Conference standings.

While the Blazers are soaring, the Pistons are struggling.

Andre Drummond had 18 points and 22 rebounds in Detroit’s 12th consecutive road loss. Blake Griffin had 15 points.

The Pistons (30-39) have dropped eight of 10 overall, and currently sit in ninth place in the East.

Warriors 124, at Suns 109: Quinn Cook scored 16 of his career-high 28 points in a dominant third quarter for Golden State, Draymond Green narrowly missed a triple-double and the severely depleted Warriors handed the Phoenix Suns their eighth straight loss and 23rd in 25 games, 124-109 on Saturday night.

Nick Young added 20 for the Warriors, who beat Phoenix for the 13th consecutive time despite playing without Stephen Curry (ankle), Kevin Durant (ribs) and Klay Thompson (fractured thumb) — a trio that averages a combined 73 points per game. The Suns didn’t have leading scorer Devin Booker due to a right hand sprain.

Green had 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which had lost three of its last four after the injuries began to hit.

Josh Jackson scored a career-high 36 points for Phoenix. Troy Daniels added 18.