NBA game roundup: Raptors extend winning streak

TORONTO — Guards Lou Williams and Kyle Lowry each scored 22 points as Toronto defeated New York Knicks.

Lowry added nine assists as the Raptors extended their winning streak to six games to equal a season high and gave the Knicks their fifth loss in a row.

Reserve guard Greivis Vasquez added 21 points for the Raptors who also got 18 points from guard Terrence Ross and 10 each from forward James Johnson and center Jonas Valanciunas. Forward Amir Johnson had nine points and nine rebounds.

Forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 28 points with reserve center Jason Smith scoring 16 points and guard Jose Calderon adding 15 points and 10 assists. Center Cole Aldrich had 11 points for New York and guard Tim Hardaway, Jr., contributed 10.

Cavaliers 105, Grizzlies 91

CLEVELAND — In what has been a turbulent season for Cleveland reserve guard, Dion Waiters finally had the chance to show his strength in a win over short-handed Memphis.

Waiters scored 21 points off the bench, guard Kyrie Irving had 17 points while tying his career high with 12 assists and the Cavaliers handed the Grizzlies their worst loss of the season on a day they were playing without two starters in forward Zach Randolph and swingman Tony Allen.

Forward LeBron James scored 25 points and handed out 11 assists, guiding the Cavaliers to an early 14-point lead while center Marc Gasol compounded the Grizzlies’ problems by sitting much of the first quarter with foul trouble. The Grizzlies never recovered and trailed the rest of the way, dropping consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Heat 100, Celtics 84

MIAMI — Forward Luol Deng had 23 points as Miami snapped its five-game home losing streak, defeating Boston at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The skid at home was the Heat’s longest since March of 2008. Even with the win, the Heat are just 5-9 at home this season. That’s in contrast to last season, when the Heat went 32-9 at home.

Boston (10-15), despite center Tyler Zeller’s 22 points, had its three-game win streak snapped.

Miami (13-15) prevailed on Sunday despite injuries to three of its starters: forwards Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts and guard Dwyane Wade. McRoberts is the only one of the three who is not expected back this season.

Nets 110, Pistons 105

NEW YORK — Center Mason Plumlee collected 21 points and 12 rebounds and Brooklyn held on for a victory over Detroit at Barclays Center.

Making his seventh straight start in place of Brook Lopez (back), Plumlee shot 9-of-10, had four dunks and posted his fourth double-double, equaling his total in 70 games from his rookie season.

Guard Jarrett Jack also filled in competently for point guard Deron Williams (calf) with 15 points and 10 assists. It marked the sixth different team that Jack recorded a double-double for and was his first since March 23 against the New York Knicks for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Suns 104, Wizards 92

WASHINGTON — Forward Markieff Morris and guard Eric Bledsoe each scored 17 points, guard Goran Dragic tallied 12 of his 16 points in the decisive third quarter as Phoenix beat Washington.

After the game was tied 50-50 at halftime, the Suns heated up quickly in the third quarter, exploding for a 77-64 lead following back-to-back 3-pointers by Dragic. Suns forward Gerald Green scored 13 points. Forward Marcus Morris added 11, and guard Isaiah Thomas had 10. Phoenix (15-14) finished its road trip 3-0 after losing six straight overall.

Reserve swingman Rasual Butler led the Wizards with 17 points. Center Kevin Seraphin scored 16, and guards John Wall and Bradley Beal had 14 points apiece for the Wizards, who had won six consecutive games and eight in a row at home.

Washington (19-7) missed out on a chance to record the best start in franchise history. With a win over the Heat in Miami on Friday, the Wizards matched the 1974-75 Washington Bullets’ 19-6 record for the best opening to a season.

76ers 96, Magic 88

ORLANDO, Fla. — Guard Michael Carter Williams scored 21 points and Philadelphia won just its third game of the season by pounding hapless Orlando at the Amway Center.

Center Nerlens Noel had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia. Reserve center Henry Sims had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and forward Robert Covington had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Sixers (3-23) trailed by as many as 11 points early in the second half, but roared to a 14-point lead midway in the fourth and withstood a late Magic (10-20) rally. The Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak as they outrebounded the Magic 52-42 and overcame their 19 turnovers.

Kings 108, Lakers 101

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With all the turmoil surrounding Sacramento since it fired head coach Mike Malone last week, a win against Los Angeles came at the perfect time. The Kings used hot shooting, including 29 points from DeMarcus Cousins and 23 points from Ben McLemore to beat the Lakers at Sleep Train Arena.

The game featured a tug of war, as both teams seized momentum several times throughout the contest. The Kings, losers of a season-high five consecutive games before Sunday, jumped out to a 22-12 lead in the opening minutes, shooting 55 percent from the field. The Lakers, on the other hand, struggled to find a rhythm on offense, making only 39 percent of their shots.

Led by Nick Young, the Los Angeles reserves got the Lakers back into the game. Young paced the bench with 26 points, including four 3-pointers, and helped spearhead a 37-point second quarter.

Pelicans 101, Thunder 99

OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Davis posted 38 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Orleans to a win over Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The win pushed the Pelicans to 14-13 on the season as they held on to eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

With 4:53 left in the fourth quarter, the Pelicans’ Tyreke Evans cut the Thunder’s lead to 97-96. New Orleans came up with a defensive stop and Davis scored on the other end to put the Pelicans back in front 99-97.

Pacers 100, Timberwolves 96

MINNEAPOLIS — Forward David West hit a jumper with 34.3 seconds left, snapping a 94-94 tie and helping Indiana win for just the second time in its past 12 games, as it beat Minnesota.

C.J. Miles came off the bench to lead all scorers with 28 for Indiana (9-19), which was playing the second of back-to-back road games, after a loss in Denver on Saturday night. The Pacers forward hit four free throws in the final 11.7 seconds to seal the win.

Minnesota got 24 points from guard Mo Williams, and another 21 from guard Shabazz Muhammad, but could not overcome a cold start. The Wolves (5-21) trailed by 14 at halftime and by as many as 19 in the third before mounting a furious comeback, but still and lost their fifth consecutive game.