Bulls Drop Loss to Magic, NBA Roundup

Magic Edge Bulls

(Chicago, IL) -- Glen Davis hit a pair of free throws with a second left to ice the Magic's 83-82 win over the Bulls at the United Center. Davis finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Arron Afflalo added a team-high 23 points and eight boards. Nikola Vucevic poured in ten points and 11 boards while Jameer Nelson had 14 points and seven helpers for Orlando, which had lost eight out of nine.  Luol Deng had 26 points and eight rebounds to lead Chicago while Mike Dunleavy and D.J. Augustin each added 14 points off the bench. Joakim Noah ended with 13 points and eight boards as the Bulls lost their fifth in six games.

Smith Powers Pistons Past Pacers

(Indianapolis, IN) -- Josh Smith poured in 30 points with seven rebounds to lead the Pistons in a 101-96 win over the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  It's the first home loss of the year for Indiana, which is now 11-and-1 in its own arena. Brandon Jennings added 18 points and eight assists while Greg Monroe had 13 points and 12 boards for Detroit, which has won two out of three since a three-game slide.  Lance Stephenson led the way for the Pacers with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Paul George netted 17 points and nine boards while Luis Scola added 18 points off the bench. Indiana had won four out of five.

Hawks Hammer Lakers

(Atlanta, GA) -- Al Horford led a balanced attack with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Hawks hammered the Lakers 114-100 at Philips Arena. Atlanta outscored LA 67-46 in the second half en route to its fourth win in the last six games. Jeff Teague tallied 17 points and 10 assists, while Paul Millsap chipped in with 18 points for the Hawks. DeMarre Carroll added 13 points and Kyle Korver had 11 as all five starters scored in double figures. Nick Young netted a game-high 23 points off the bench to lead the Lakers, who are just 1-4 since the return of Kobe Bryant and 11-13 overall. Bryant was held to just eight points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field.

Nets Rout Struggling 76ers

(Brooklyn, NY) -- Joe Johnson racked up 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Nets to a 130-94 rout of the 76ers at the Barclays Center.  Andray Blatche dropped in 20 points off the bench and Deron Williams added 13 points and as many assists for the Nets, who have won four-of-five to improve to 9-15 on the year. Brooklyn shot 60 percent from the field to Philly's 41 percent. James Anderson scored 17 points to pace the Sixers, who have lost seven straight and 11 of their last 12. Thaddeus Young had 13 points and Tony Wroten scored 13 in the setback.

James Dazzles As Heat Burn Jazz

(Miami, FL) -- LeBron James came up just short of a triple-double in leading the Heat to a 117-94 beat down of the Jazz in Miami. James finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Dwyane Wade chipped in 27 points with five boards. Chris Bosh added 20 points and six rebounds as the Heat won their fourth in five games. Alec Burks had 31 points and seven assists off the bench to lead Utah. Derrick Favors contributed 17 points and seven rebounds as the Jazz lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Wiz Edge Knicks In Beal's Return

(New York, NY) -- Bradley Beal's driving layup with six seconds left lifted the Wizards to a 102-101 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Beal returned from a leg injury and finished with 21 points and seven rebounds while John Wall scored 20 points with eight assists for Washington. Martell Webster dropped in a team-high 30 points off the bench as the Wiz ended a four-game slide. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 32 points while J.R. Smith had 18 points and six assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points off the bench as the Knicks lost their fourth in six games.

Celtics Get Past Timberwolves

(Boston, MA) -- Jared Sullinger dropped in 24 points with 11 rebounds and five assists to lead the Celtics in a 101-97 win over the Timberwolves at the TD Garden. Avery Bradley added 19 points while Jordan Crawford chipped in 15 for Boston. The C's have won five out of seven. Kevin Love finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota while Nikola Pekovic contributed 13 points and seven boards. Dante Cunningham added 12 points off the bench for the Wolves, who had won three out of four.

Clippers Blow Out Spurs

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Blake Griffin poured in 27 points with nine rebounds as the Clippers earned a 115-92 win over the Spurs at STAPLES Center. Chris Paul added 23 points with eight rebounds and seven assists while Jamal Crawford netted 17 points in the win. Los Angeles has won four out of five. Tim Duncan ended with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Kawhi Leonard added 12 points and eight boards in defeat. Tony Parker scored eight points and dished six assists before leaving in the third quarter with a bruised right shin.  San Antonio saw a four-game win streak end.

 

Monday, December 16 Scoreboard

NBA

Detroit Pistons 101, Indiana Pacers 96

Atlanta Hawks 114, Los Angeles Lakers 100

Brooklyn Nets 130, Philadelphia 76ers 94

Miami Heat 117, Utah Jazz 94

Washington Wizards 102, New York Knicks 101

Boston Celtics 101, Minnesota Timberwolves 97

Orlando Magic 83, Chicago Bulls 82

Los Angeles Clippers 115, San Antonio Spurs 92

Tuesday, December 17 Schedule (All Times Central)

NBA

6:00 p.m. - Portland Trail Blazers at Cleveland Cavaliers

6:00 p.m. - Sacramento Kings at Charlotte Bobcats

7:00 p.m. - Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies

8:00 p.m. - Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets

9:30 p.m. - New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors