Knicks Hold Off 76ers, NBA Roundup

(Philadelphia, PA) -- In the fight for the worst record in the NBA, the Knicks pulled out a 98-91 win over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Carmelo Anthony paced New York with 27 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.  Jose Calderon added 15 and seven assists, while Langston Galloway posted 11 points, seven boards and four helpers.

The Knicks have won two consecutive games for only the second time this season to improve to 7-and-36.  Michael Carter-Williams matched Melo's 27 points and dished out seven assists along with grabbing six rebounds for the Sixers. Robert Covington knocked down three from deep on his way to 17 points to give Philly an 8-and-34 record.

Cavaliers Crush Jazz

(Cleveland, OH) -- LeBron James led a balanced attack with 26 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals as the Cavaliers crushed the Jazz 106-92 at Quicken Loans Arena. Kevin Love posted 19 points and 13 boards, while Timofey Mozgov added 16 and 11 for the Cavs, who have won four in-a-row since a six-game losing streak. Kyrie Irving netted 18 points and J.R. Smith had 15 as all five starters scored in double figures. Enes Kanter racked up 24 points and 17 rebounds to pace Utah, which has lost five of six. Gordan Hayward scored 14 points and Derrick Favors tallied 12 in the setback.

Heat Fall To Hornets

(Charlotte, NC) -- The Heat had two three-point attempts on their final possession, but missed both and fell to the Hornets, 78-76, at Time Warner Cable Arena.  Kemba Walker paced Charlotte with 15 points, while Bismack Biyombo posted a 12-point and 12-rebound double-double. The Hornets have won eight of their last nine. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade each posted 17 points for the Heat. They combined to shoot 15-of-41 from the field as Miami shot 34-percent in the game. The Heat lost for the third time in four contests.

Hawks Pound Pacers For 14th Straight Win

(Atlanta, GA) -- Jeff Teague tallied 17 points and 11 assists as the Hawks pounded the Pacers 110-91 at Philips Arena. DeMarre Carroll also scored 17 points as the Hawks tied the franchise record with their 14th straight win. Al Horford had 14 points, seven boards and five assists in the victory. C.J. Miles netted 18 points off the bench to pace Indiana, which has dropped six in-a-row. C.J. Watson scored 13 points and Rodney Stuckey added 12 in defeat.

Pistons Outlast Magic

(Auburn Hills, MI) -- The Pistons entered the fourth quarter leading by a dozen and held off two Magic rallies to win 128-118 at The Palace. Brandon Jennings had 24 points and a career-high 21 assists to lead Detroit to its 12th win in 15 games. Nikola Vucevic posted 26 points and 15 rebounds for Orlando, which has lost three in-a-row. The Magic were able to cut the lead to two twice in the fourth, but Detroit was bailed out by a four-point play from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and two straight baskets by Jennings.

Mavericks Pound Timberwolves

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Chandler Parsons led the charge with 22 points to help Dallas top Minnesota 98-75 from the Target Center. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 16 points and nine boards in the win with J.J. Barea dishing out 10 assists off the bench. Dwight Powell grabbed 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of work as the Mavericks won their third straight to improve to 30-and-13.  Thaddeus Young led the Timberwolves with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists with Andrew Wiggins posting 18 points. Nikola Pekovic added 14 off the bench as Minnesota slid to 7-and-34.

Davis Powers Pelicans Past Lakers

(New Orleans, LA) -- Anthony Davis put up 29 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his return to the lineup to guide the Pelicans to a 96-80 victory over the Lakers at the Smoothie King Center. Davis missed three games with a sprained toe. Eric Gordon logged a 17-point, 10-assist, double-double as New Orleans won for the third time in five games. Tyreke Evans chipped in 19 points in the win. Jordan Hill paced LA with 15 points and 13 boards. Kobe Bryant scored 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting before leaving late in the fourth quarter due to a sore shoulder. The Lakers have dropped six in-a-row and eight of their last nine.

Thunder Sneak Past Wizards

(Washington, DC) -- Russell Westbrook's layup with 0.8-seconds left in overtime lifted the Thunder to a 105-103 victory over the Wizards at the Verizon Center.  Kevin Durant went off for 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and the extra five minutes. Westbrook finished with 32, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Steve Adams collected a career-high 20 boards. Oklahoma City has won four straight to push its record to 22-20. Washington led by as many as 14 in the first half before letting the Thunder back into the game. John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to score 32 points, but shot 11-of-38 from the field and missed 11-of-15 three-point attempts. Nene Hilario had a team-high 24 points for the Wizards, who had won four of their previous five.

Suns Hold Off Blazers

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Eric Bledsoe dropped in a career-high 33 points including four crucial free throws down the stretch, as the Suns held on to beat the Trail Blazers, 118-113, at US Airways Center. Bledsoe also had 10 rebounds and six assists, while Isaiah Thomas tallied a season-best 27 points off the pine for the Suns, who have won four straight and eight of their last 10 overall. Goran Dragic donated 16 points in the victory. Nicolas Batum netted 27 points to pace Portland, which erased a 25-point deficit before falling for the fourth time in five games. Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews both scored 22 points in the loss.

Nets Nip Kings

(Sacramento, CA) -- Brook Lopez posted 22 points and six rebounds off the bench as the Nets nipped the Kings 103-100 at Sleep Train Arena. Jarrett Jack recorded 16 points and eight assists, while Joe Johnson had 16 points and eight rebounds for Brooklyn, which has won two of three since a seven-game skid.  Alan Anderson added 14 points off the pine in the victory. DeMarcus Cousins racked up 28 points and 14 boards for the Kings, who have lost five in-a-row.  Rudy Gay contributed 25 points, eight boards and six helpers in defeat.

Warriors Slug Past Rockets

(Oakland, CA) -- Stephen Curry recorded 22 points and 10 assists for a double-double to lead Golden State to a 126-113 win over Houston at ORACLE Arena.  Klay Thompson led the team with 27 points with Draymond Green adding 18. The Warriors swept the four-game series with the Rockets to improve to a league-best 34-6. James Harden paced Houston with 33 points, while Dwight Howard grabbed 11 boards. Corey Brewer scored 20 points off the bench for Houston, which dropped to 29-14.

Bulls Host Spurs Tonight

(Chicago, IL) -- The Bulls are back in action tonight facing the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center. Chicago has lost two in-a-row and six of its last eight overall following Monday's 108-94 setback at Cleveland. The Bulls are 27-16 on the season. The Spurs have won four in-a-row and also sit at 27-and-16.

The Bulls are the NBA's third-most valuable franchise. That's according to Forbes, which values the Bulls at $2-billion. The Lakers took over the top spot from the Knicks at 2.6-billion. The average value is up 72-percent from a year ago and there are now 11 NBA franchises that Forbes has valued at more than $1-billion.

Wednesday, January 21 Scoreboard

NBA

New York Knicks 98, Philadelphia 76ers 91

Cleveland Cavaliers 106, Utah Jazz 92

Charlotte Hornets 78, Miami Heat 76

Atlanta Hawks 110, Indiana Pacers 91

Detroit Pistons 128, Orlando Magic 118

Dallas Mavericks 98, Minnesota Timberwolves 75

New Orleans Pelicans 96, Los Angeles Lakers 80

Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Washington Wizards 103 (OT)

Memphis Grizzlies 92, Toronto Raptors 86

Phoenix Suns 118, Portland Trail Blazers 113

Brooklyn Nets 103, Sacramento Kings 100

Golden State Warriors 126, Houston Rockets 113

Thursday, January 22 Schedule (All Times Central)  

NBA

7:00 p.m. - San Antonio Spurs at Chicago Bulls

7:00 p.m. - Utah Jazz at Milwaukee Bucks

9:00 p.m. - Boston Celtics at Portland Trail Blazers

9:30 p.m. - Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Clippers