NBA roundup: Caris LeVert scores 42 but Pacers fall to Bulls

Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls overcame a sizzling performance by Caris LeVert in a 122-115 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Indianapolis.
DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points and Javonte Green added 16 for Chicago, which shot 54.4 percent while playing the second of four games in five nights. The Bulls won for the fifth time in the past seven games.
LeVert shot 19 of 26 and led the Pacers with a season-high 42 points, including 28 in the first half. Terry Taylor tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Indiana trailed by 12 late in the fourth quarter before trimming the deficit to 118-115 on Justin Holiday’s 3-pointer with 36.4 seconds left. However, Chicago’s Ayo Dosumnu dunked with 16.3 seconds to go, and the Bulls added two late free throws to seal the victory.
Mavericks 107 – 98 76ers
Luka Doncic had 33 points, a season-high 15 assists and 13 rebounds as host Dallas defeated Philadelphia.
Reggie Bullock added 20 points, Jalen Brunson contributed 19 and Dwight Powell had 14 for Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith also chipped in with 13.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added 18 points. In a bizarre scene, the game was delayed for 45 minutes in the first quarter when a crooked rim led to an entire basket stanchion being replaced.
Thunder 96 – 93 Trail Blazers
Luguentz Dort recorded 23 points and seven rebounds to lead Oklahoma City to a victory at Portland.
Josh Giddey contributed 16 points and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City won a third straight game for the first time since December 18-22.
CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons scored 19 points apiece as the Trail Blazers lost for the fourth straight time and sixth in their past seven games. Jusuf Nurkic registered 14 points and 16 rebounds for Portland, which saw Simons’ 3-point attempt bounce off the rim as time expired.
Celtics 102 – 93 Pistons
Jayson Tatum had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Boston to a win at Detroit.
Jaylen Brown had 13 points and seven rebounds and Josh Richardson added 12 points for the Celtics, who won their fourth straight.
Hamidou Diallo had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Saddiq Bey scored 21 points and Isaiah Stewart had 17 rebounds in defeat for the Pistons, who lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Cavaliers 102 – 101 Hornets
Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play to rescue Cleveland in its win at Charlotte.
The Cavaliers nearly wasted Jarrett Allen’s 29-point, 22-rebound performance, while Love ended up with 25 points. Brandon Goodwin added 12 points and nine assists for Cleveland, which won for the 10th time in 13 games.
The Hornets, who battled back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, were led by Terry Rozier, who scored 24 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr., who had 21.
Raptors 125 – 114 Hawks
Pascal Siakam scored 21 of his 33 points in the first quarter and Toronto went on to defeat visiting Atlanta.
Siakam shot 11 of 16 from the field in matching his season-best in points and added nine rebounds and four assists as the Raptors extended their winning streak to five games.
Fred VanVleet added 26 points and 11 assists for the Raptors, who also defeated the Hawks on Monday in Atlanta. Trae Young had 22 points and 13 assists for the Hawks, who lost for only the second time in their past 10 games.
Spurs 131 – 106 Rockets
Keldon Johnson scored a season-high 28 points, eight of which came in a decisive third-quarter stretch, as San Antonio rolled past visiting Houston to snap a three-game losing streak.
Dejounte Murray added 19 points and 11 assists for San Antonio, recording his 19th game this season with a point/assist double-double. That’s the most by a Spurs player since Avery Johnson had 23 in 1995-96. Jakob Poeltl racked up 21 points and 10 rebounds, Doug McDermott scored 19 points, and Derrick White hit for 12 for San Antonio.
Josh Christopher led Houston with a career-high 23 points, with Alperen Sengun adding 18, Christian Wood amassing 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Jazz 125 – 102 Nets
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points after missing the past eight games with a concussion to lead Utah to a win over road-weary Brooklyn in Salt Lake City.
Cam Thomas scored 30 and Kyrie Irving added 15 for the Nets, but Brooklyn dropped its seventh straight game and the fourth in a row on this five-game Western trip.
Bojan Bogdanovic contributed a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, Eric Paschall scored 16, Hassan Whiteside added 15, and Mike Conley netted 14 points as Utah won its second game in a row after a five-game skid.
Pelicans 113 – 105 Nuggets
Herbert Jones scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Brandon Ingram had 23 points and 12 assists, and New Orleans won at Denver.
Jayson Hayes had 22 points and 11 rebounds while Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 points for the Pelicans, who ended a four-game, head-to-head losing streak to the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Monte Morris scored 19 points and Will Barton finished with 17 for Denver, which has lost three straight.
REUTERS