National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Al Jefferson had 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets held off the Los Angeles Lakers 104-103 on Tuesday night. Mo Williams posted 20 points and 13 assists, while Gerald Henderson added 21 points and five helpers for the Hornets, who have won two straight on the heels of a 1-6 stretch. Jeremy Lin tallied 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds off the bench and Carlos Boozer provided 15 points and 11 boards for Los Angeles, which has dropped nine of its last 12 contests.

Final Score: Cleveland 110, Boston 79

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com – LeBron James scored 27 points with a full line and the Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the Boston Celtics 110-79 on Tuesday. James silenced his critics with a dominant performance just two days after missing two crucial free throws late in an overtime loss to the Rockets. James missed 20 field goals and shot 3-for-11 from the foul line in that loss, Cleveland’s second in a row. Kyrie Irving returned from a two-game absence and added 18 points for the Cavs, while Kevin Love and J.R. Smith gave 12 points apiece. The Cavaliers made all 14 of their free throws as a team.

. Final Score: Sacramento 124, New York 86

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Rudy Gay supplied 25 points with seven rebounds in the Sacramento Kings’ 124-86 rout of the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. DeMarcus Cousins returned to the Sacramento lineup after missing the previous two games with ankle and hip injuries to score 22 points and grab 10 rebounds in the win. Ben McLemore had 20 points and Derrick Williams added 17 for the Kings, who snapped a two-game losing streak in the opener of a franchise record-tying eight-game road trip. New York had a tough time on the offensive end throughout the night, shooting 36.6 percent for the game as no starter scored in double figures. Alexey Shved led the Knicks with 15 points, while Jason Smith and Shake Larkin each tallied 13 points off the bench.

Final Score: Atlanta 104, Houston 96

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – The short-handed Houston Rockets gave their best Atlanta Hawks impersonation for three quarters on Tuesday. The fourth quarter, however, showed just how valuable James Harden really is. The Hawks rallied from 15 points down over the final 10 minutes and beat the Rockets, 104-96, to earn their fifth straight win and clinch the NBA’s first playoff berth. Jeff Teague scored 25 points, Paul Millsap finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Al Horford added 18 points, including the go-ahead jumper down the stretch for the victors.

Final Score: Chicago 97, Washington 92

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – A pair of hustle plays led to a Chicago Bulls win Tuesday night. It’s something they’ll have to rely on without two of their stars for the next month. Nikola Mirotic had 23 points and eight rebounds, Pau Gasol added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Bulls held off the Washington Wizards for a 97-92 victory. With Chicago clinging to a 94-91 lead in the final minute, Aaron Brooks lost the ball while going up for a reverse, but Mirotic won the race for a loose ball along the sideline and drew a foul with 35.5 seconds remaining. He sunk 1-of-2 foul shots to extend the margin to four and Otto Porter split a pair at the other end to again cut the deficit to three. The Wizards elected to play the Bulls’ ensuing offensive possession out and Tony Snell was off the mark on a right wing 3- pointer, but Gasol got position for an offensive rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to seal the triumph with 8.5 ticks on the clock. The Bulls announced Monday that All-Star guard Jimmy Butler could miss 3-to-6 weeks with injuries to his left elbow suffered during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The team, of course, was already dealing with the loss of former MVP Derrick Rose, who will miss up to six weeks after having surgery on Friday to repair a medial meniscus tear in his right knee. Brooks netted 22 points to go with eight assists and Joakim Noah supplied 14 points and 12 boards for the Bulls, who have won four of their last six games. John Wall tallied 21 points and 11 assists to lead free-falling Washington, which has dropped seven of its last eight contests.

Final Score: Utah 93, Memphis 82

Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Rudy Gobert scored 15 points and set a career high with 24 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 93-82 on Tuesday. Gobert pulled down 18 defensive rebounds in Utah’s third straight win — the first time it has done so this season. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors each scored 21 points and Rodney Hood added 13 points off the bench in the win. Courtney Lee led Memphis with 18 points, Marc Gasol had 17 points with eight rebounds and Jordan Adams set a career high with 13 points.

Final Score: Denver 106, Milwaukee 95

Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Danilo Gallinari posted a season-high 26 points to lead the Denver Nuggets in a 106-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in Melvin Hunt’s interim debut with the team. The Nuggets fired head coach Brian Shaw earlier in the day, citing that he ran out of time to turn the organization around. Shaw, who went 56-85 in Denver, had his trouble over his tenure with the Nuggets and even admitted earlier this season that he needed coaching books to help him with ways to handle the players. Ty Lawson finished with 16 points and 10 assists for Denver, which snapped a 10-game losing streak at home — including a six-game skid overall. Kenneth Faried netted 14 points with 14 rebounds in the win. Ersan Ilyasova led the Bucks with 21 points, Khris Middleton had 20 points with seven rebounds and six assists, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 19 points with 11 rebounds. Milwaukee has lost three straight games.

Categorized in: NBA