Bulls Get Team Effort In Victory, NBA Roundup

CHICAGO -- Without their starting backcourt and one of their best reserves, the Chicago Bulls were going to need a team effort Tuesday night. That's what they got. Nikola Mirotic scored 23 points to lead the Bulls to a 97-92 win over the Washington Wizards. It came without former MVP Derrick Rose (right knee), all-star Jimmy Butler (left elbow), and trusted reserve Taj Gibson (left ankle), but the Bulls still managed to improve to 4-2 on their season-high seven-game homestand. Aaron Brooks had 22 points while Pau Gasol had 20 and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who had five players in double figures. Joakim Noah added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Hornets 104, Lakers 103

Al Jefferson had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Mo Williams added 20 points and 13 assists and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-103 on Tuesday night for their third win in four games. Williams, who came in averaging 23.4 points in his first five games since being acquired from Minnesota, had his third double-double with the Hornets. Williams knocked down a big 3-pointer with a minute to play to push the lead to six and added five free throws in the final 18 seconds to seal the win. Gerald Henderson added 21 points, including several key baskets late in the fourth quarter. Cody Zeller had 10 points and 11 rebounds as all five Charlotte starters finished in double figures.

Cavaliers 110, Celtics 79

LeBron James doesn't usually spend a lot of time talking about personal accomplishments, but he made an exception Tuesday night. James scored 27 points to move into 21st place on the NBA's career list, and the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to a 110-79 victory over the Boston Celtics. James, who has 24,508 career points, moved past former Miami Heat teammate Ray Allen with a layup in the third quarter. The Cavaliers have been one of several teams rumored to sign Allen, who hasn't played this season.

Kings 124, Knicks 86

All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was welcomed back to the lineup by coach George Karl and the rest of the Kings. The Knicks were not as excited. Cousins, the Kings' first All-Star since 2004, scored 22 points, including 11-for-11 from the foul line, and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds as Sacramento handed New York its worst loss of the season, 124-86, on Tuesday night. He had missed the last two games, both Kings' losses, because of a left ankle sprain and left hip bruise.

Hawks 104, Rockets 96

Al Horford knew the Atlanta Hawks would eventually respond to Houston's big lead. He just didn't know when.

"It's a credit to our guys," Horford said. "Guys were relentless, kept fighting. The biggest thing for us was we really locked in on defense. That put us in position to win the game."

Jeff Teague scored 25 points, Horford added 18, and the NBA-leading Atlanta Hawks rallied from an 18-point deficit to win their fifth straight game 104-96 over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. James Harden, the league's leading scorer, was serving a one-game suspension and did not play for Houston, but the Rockets led for the most of the game, until Teague's 3-pointer with 4:24 remaining put Atlanta up 91-90.

Jazz 93, Grizzlies 82

Gordon Hayward started the second half hot, and the rest of his Jazz teammates followed his lead. Utah shot 64 percent after the break and clamped down to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-82 on Tuesday night. Hayward and Derrick Favors led Utah with 21 points each, while Rudy Gobert scored 15 and grabbed a career-best 24 rebounds. Rodney Hood finished with 13 points.

Nuggets 106, Bucks 95

A change on the bench gave the Denver Nuggets a boost and ended six weeks of frustration for the struggling franchise. Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 26 points, Kenneth Faried had 14 points and 14 rebounds and Denver beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-95 on Tuesday night, hours after Brian Shaw was fired as coach. Guard Ty Lawson had 16 points and 10 assists for Denver, which ended a six-game losing streak and won at home for the first time since Jan. 14.

Tuesday, March 3 Scoreboard

Charlotte 104, LA Lakers 103

Cleveland 110, Boston 79

Sacramento 124, New York 86

Atlanta 104, Houston 96

Chicago 97, Washington 92

Utah 93, Memphis 82

Denver 106, Milwaukee 95

Wednesday, March 4 Schedule (All Times Central)

New York at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Phoenix at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Utah at Boston, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.

Memphis at Houston, 7 p.m.

Denver at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Detroit at New Orleans, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.

LA Lakers at Miami, 7 p.m.

Sacramento at San Antonio, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

Portland at LA Clippers, 9:30 p.m.