NBA Round-Up: Surging Cavs Pull Away From Knicks In Eastern Conference Showdown, Hornets Rout Bulls, Magic Edge Lakers

Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine games.

Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 18 for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson pulled down 15 rebounds, one off a season high.

New York shot just 40.7 percent from the field with Bridges, Brunson and OG Anunoby combining to go 14 for 45. The Knicks misfired on 27 of 37 from 3-point range.

The Cavaliers and Knicks are both 37-22 and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. But New York would have a head-to-head tiebreaker edge if the teams were tied at the end of the season after taking two of three meetings.

Cleveland had a 60-54 halftime advantage before taking control in the third quarter. It outscored New York 23-11 in the period and held the Knicks to 3 of 24 from the field.

Hornets rout Bulls for another road win

Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Kon Knueppel added 21, and the hot-shooting Charlotte Hornets won a team record eighth straight road game, routing the reeling Chicago Bulls 131-99.

The Hornets shot 51.6% from the field and were on-target from beyond the arc, sinking 25 of 57 3-point attempts, one shy of the team record.

LaMelo Ball scored 16 points and Miles Bridges also had 16 in his return from suspension. The Hornets outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter – including a decisive 22-2 run – and handed the Bulls a 10th straight loss, matching their longest slide since January 2019.

Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 32 points for Chicago, which was hurt by turnovers - 19 in this one.

Knueppel finished with three 3-pointers on six attempts to up his long-range field goals total to 201. Playing in his 58th game, he became the fastest player to reach 200 3s.

Carter’s late putback gets Magic by Lakers

Wendell Carter Jr. made a go-ahead putback with 6.7 seconds to play, Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and the Orlando Magic finished a strong West Coast trip with a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James missed a fallaway 3-point attempt on the final shot by the Lakers, who went 4-4 on a disappointing homestand spanning the All-Star break. Los Angeles has lost four of six and fallen into sixth place in the West, repeatedly failing to beat playoff-caliber teams.

Desmond Bane scored 22 points and Carter had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who have won six of eight overall after taking three of four on the road out of the break. That surge – capped by their fourth consecutive win over the Lakers – has moved the Magic within a half-game of sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Doncic had 22 points and 15 assists, while James and Deandre Ayton scored 21 apiece for the Lakers. Austin Reaves scored all 18 of his points in the second half.

NBA Results (Tuesday, February 24):

Cleveland Cavaliers 109, New York Knicks 94

Sacramento Kings 123, Memphis Grizzlies 114

Houston Rockets 125, Utah Jazz 105

San Antonio Spurs 114, Detroit Pistons 103

Boston Celtics 97, Phoenix Suns 81

Orlando Magic 118, Los Angeles Lakers 115

Minnesota Timberwolves 122, Portland Trail Blazers 110

Atlanta Hawks 126, Washington Wizards 112

Dallas Mavericks 115, Brooklyn Nets 104

Oklahoma City Thunder 121, Toronto Raptors 109

Philadelphia 76ers 118, Indiana Pacers 106

Chicago Bulls 113, Charlotte Hornets 105

Milwaukee Bucks 124, Miami Heat 117

Golden State Warriors 119, New Orleans Pelicans 112