daniel chigunwe
NIKOLA VUCEVIC scored 24 points and the visiting Chicago Bulls held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 122-121 on Monday night.
Chicago led by 16 before seeing its lead melt to one point in the fourth quarter.
Coby White added 19 points for the Bulls, who have won two straight. Josh Giddey had 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists before leaving with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
Ayo Dosunmu scored 12 points, and the Chicago bench got significant contributions from Talen Horton-Tucker (15 points), Jalen Smith (10) and Julian Phillips (10).
Evan Mobley scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, Caris LeVert scored all 19 of his points in the first half and the Cleveland Cavaliers seized control early and cruised to a 130-101 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Cleveland led by as many as 37, improved to 23-4 for the best start in team history and is 8-4 since winning its first 15 games.
Donovan Mitchell contributed 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting and was the only starter to miss more than two shots from the field. Georges Niang contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, Jarrett Allen and Issac Okoro finished with 12 points apiece and Darius Garland chipped in 11 as the Cavs shot 53.1 percent, hit 19 3-pointers and reached 130 points for the seventh time this season.
Malik Beasley had a season-high 28 points, Cade Cunningham supplied a triple-double and the host Detroit Pistons topped the Miami Heat 125-124 in overtime on Monday night.
Cunningham had 20 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds for Detroit, which squandered a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead. Ausar Thompson contributed 19 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. tossed in 16, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers in overtime.
Jimmy Butler produced 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who had their four-game winning streak end. Tyler Herro scored 23 points, and Bam Adebayo added 15 points and eight boards.
Tyrese Maxey pumped in 40 points and Paul George racked up 33 points as both sank six 3-pointers, leading the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers past the host Charlotte Hornets 121-108 on Monday night.
Kelly Oubre Jr., a former Hornet, scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed nine rebounds as the 76ers won for the fifth time in seven games. Andre Drummond registered nine points and 15 rebounds.
The outcome dampened the excitement around the return to action of Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball, who racked up 15 points and 11 assists. The Hornets lost for the 10th time in 11 outings despite Miles Bridges’ 24 points, Nick Richards’ 19 points off the bench and Brandon Miller’s 12 points. Cody Martin and Josh Green both added 10 points. —Reuters.
