By ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for their 13th straight victory, 118-117, over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, March 7.
Darius Garland added 20 points to help the Cavaliers improve to 53-10. Evan Mobley scored 19 points, De’Andre Hunter had 15, Jarrett Allen 14 and Sam Merrill 12.
Miles Bridges scored 46 points for Charlotte. His shot from halfcourt at the buzzer was off the mark. The Hornets have lost nine straight to fall to 14-48.
Cleveland led 67-54 early in the second half and was up 87-83 after three quarters. Charlotte rallied with a 21-8 run for a 104-95 lead with 5:41 to play.
The Cavaliers responded by outscoring the Hornets 25-15 to end the game. Hunter’s contested follow shot with 43 seconds left gave Cleveland the lead for good at 112-110.
Jusuf Nurkic added 12 points and 15 rebounds for Charlotte.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma City, Aaron Wiggins scored 30 points, Jaylin Williams had his first career triple-double, and the Western Conference-leading Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-89, with MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench.
Gilgeous-Alexander was held out for rest, missing just his second game this season. The Thunder were also without Chet Holmgren (lower right leg contusion) and Isaiah Hartenstein (broken nose).
They still had more than enough to win their sixth straight game. The Blazers got within two points midway through the fourth quarter, but Williams and Wiggins responded with 3-pointers and the Thunder cruised from there.
Williams finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Alex Caruso scored 17 points, and Isaiah Joe and Ousmane Dieng had 16 apiece.
In Sacramento, Zach LaVine scored 36 points and the Kings beat the San Antonio Spurs, 127-109, in De’Aaron Fox’s first game as a visitor in Sacramento.
Fox faced his original NBA team for the first time since being traded to the Spurs last month in a three-team deal that brough LaVine to Sacramento.
But it was LaVine who shined by scoring 16 points to break the game open in the second quarter on the way to his sixth straight game with at least 20 points.
In Miami, Mike Conley, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 15 points each and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Heat, 106-104, for their fourth straight victory.
Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle finished with 13 each. Edwards, who averages 27.5 points per game, attempted a season-low 10 shots and made four. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was Minnesota’s seventh double-figure scorer with 12 points.
In Toronto, Immanuel Quickley scored a season-high 34 points and the Raptors overcame a dominant rebounding effort by Walker Kessler to beat the Utah Jazz 118-109.
Quickley added five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the Raptors’ third straight win. Scottie Barnes had 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
In Dallas, Ja Morant scored 31 points, including the game’s final seven, and Desmond Bane had 27 points and a career-high 16 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Mavericks, 122-111.
Reserve Brandon Williams scored a career-high 31 points and Naji Marshall had career bests with 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost four consecutive games and six of their last seven.
