NEW ORLEANS: Anthony Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his eighth consecutive game of scoring at least 28 points, to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 105-95 victory over Miami in the National Basketball Association game yesterday.
In snapping a five-game losing streak to the Heat, the Pelicans (29-40) outscored Miami 16-6 in the first 5:37 of the fourth quarter to build a 92-78 lead.
They extended the lead to 100-84 on Tyreke Evans’s 18-foot jumper with 3:54 left. Miami (47-21) lost for the seventh time in their last 11 games. LeBron James led the Heat with 25 points, and Mario Chalmers added 19.
Joakim Noah did more scoring than passing for a change and the Chicago Bulls handed the Philadelphia 76ers their 24th consecutive loss.
Philadelphia are two games away from tying Cleveland’s record losing streak of 26 during the 2010-11 season.
Noah, who scored 20 points, had led the Bulls in assists during the previous nine games, but that streak came to an end on Saturday. He finished with eight rebounds and four assists.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points for Chicago (39-31), while Taj Gibson and D J Augustin scored 16 each. Thaddeus Young led Philadelphia (15-55) with 28 points.
Mike Conley scored 21 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 13 rebounds and Mike Miller scored 13 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to an 82-71 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Grizzles (41-28) extended their home winning streak to nine and won for the 15th time in their last 17 games at FedExForum.
Indiana (51-19) were led by Lance Stephenson, who had 15. Paul George, the Pacers’ leading scorer, was held to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. He entered the game with a 22.1 average.
Leading 43-30 at the half, the Grizzlies maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter and extended their advantage to 15 on several occasions.
Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson combined for 77 points in basically three quarters as the Charlotte Bobcats routed the Portland Trail Blazers 124-94. Jefferson finished with 28 points and did not play at all in the fourth quarter with the Bobcats leading by as many as 34.
Walker hit four of five three-pointers and finished with 26 points, sitting out the final nine minutes. Henderson added 23 points, also all in the first three quarters.
The Bobcats surged to a 26-point lead in the first half, led 69-46 at halftime, and then never let the Trail Blazers get closer than 17 in the second half.
The victory allowed the Bobcats (34-36) to retain the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings with 12 games left. The Trail Blazers (45-25) lost for the sixth time in their last nine games.
All-Star guard James Harden fired in 37 points in the Houston Rockets’ 118-111 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He hit the Cavaliers with a 17-point barrage in the third quarter, including a rare four-point play. He helped the Rockets (47-22) post their third consecutive victory.
Harden, who did not play in the fourth quarter, converted nine of 15 shots from the field, five of eight from behind the arc and all 14 from the foul line.
Dion Waiters paced the Cavaliers (26-44) with 26 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
Danny Green hit two three-pointers during a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that broke open a tight game as the San Antonio Spurs ran their winning streak to 13 with a 99-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
In a game matching the two teams with the most wins since the All Star break, the Spurs (53-16) improved the NBA’s best record. Rookie point guard Trey Burke hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining and Richard Jefferson scored 21 points as the Utah Jazz edged the Orlando Magic 89-88. Burke, who led Michigan to the 2013 NCAA Championship game a year ago, hit three of seven three-pointers and finished with 17 points.
The late heroics helped the Jazz (23-47) snap a six-game losing streak and win for just the second time in 13 games.
Arron Afflalo’s buzzer-beating attempt was off target as the Magic dropped to 19-51 with their eighth consecutive defeat.
Chris Paul scored 28 points, dished out 15 assists and recorded a season-high six steals, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 112-103 victory over struggling Detroit.
Blake Griffin added 25 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers (49-21), who have won 12 of their last 13 contests.
They handed Detroit a fifth straight defeat and eighth loss in their past nine games. The Pistons (25-44) also dropped 13 in a row on the road.Reuters
