CHICAGO (AP) Derrick Rose scored 24 points, Kirk Hinrich had 23 and the Chicago Bulls survived some shaky free-throw shooting down the stretch to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-108 on Thursday night with LeBron James sitting out.
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Fadeaway jumper: Sacramento's Tyreke Evans puts up a shot over Chris Kaman of the Clippers on Thursday
night. The Kings won 116-94.
AP PHOTO |
Luol Deng had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Joakim Noah added 17 points and 15 boards, and the Bulls moved into a tie with eighth-place Toronto in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors hold the tiebreaker, but with Chris Bosh injured, Chicago's odds are looking good.
Chicago prevailed even though Rose and Deng each missed two free throws in the final 15 seconds and Cleveland's Mo Williams scored a season-high 35 points on a night when James sat out to rest some bumps and bruises.
Kings 116, Clippers 94
In Sacramento, Tyreke Evans had 28 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help the Kings snap an eight-game losing streak.
Nuggets 98, Lakers 96
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and had a game-saving block at the buzzer, helping the Nuggets hold on for a win over a Lakers team playing without Kobe Bryant.