Knicks Snap Bulls' Four-Game Win Streak, NBA Scores

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Published on April 5 2017 6:20 am
Last Updated on April 5 2017 6:21 am

By ESPN

The Chicago Bulls lost a crucial game and a chance to strengthen their playoff hopes.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, and the New York Knicks snapped the Bulls' four-game win streak with a 100-91 victory on Tuesday night.

Courtney Lee had 14 points for New York, and Maurice Ndour added 13 points and 12 rebounds in his first career start. The Knicks (30-48) had dropped seven of nine.

The Bulls (38-40) shot just 38.1 percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers. They dropped into a tie with Indiana for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game ahead of idle Miami.

All-Star Jimmy Butler scored 26 points for Chicago, and Nikola Mirotic had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

"We didn't come out with the fire that we needed to," Butler said. "They came out like they were playing for something and we didn't. They whooped our tail in every aspect of the game."

The Knicks grabbed control in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls 25-16 for a 54-40 halftime lead.

New York shot 55 percent from the field in the first half, compared to 33 percent for Chicago.

Anthony then scored eight points in the third quarter to help New York to an 80-64 advantage heading into the final period.

"I thought we came out and kind of got them out of their comfort zone, kind of speed their game up," Anthony said. "Tonight was just one of those games where we started off good and sustained it throughout the course of the game. We finished the game today."

Justin Holiday had 12 points for the Knicks, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas finished with 11. Kyle O'Quinn grabbed 12 rebounds, helping New York to a 53-36 advantage on the glass.

"Look at the numbers on the glass," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "That tells you everything you need to know. They just had their way with us."


Pacers 108, Raptors 90

Lance Stephenson charged up the Pacers and fired up the Raptors.

In his first home game since re-signing with Indiana last week, Stephenson helped energize the Pacers in the second half, and they rallied from a 19-point, first-half deficit to blow out Toronto 108-90 on Tuesday night.

He finished with 12 points but also instigated a closing melee by making a layup with 3.3 seconds to go rather than running out the clock.

Paul George scored 18 of his 35 points in the third quarter as Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak, though the win was tainted by an ugly shoving match that spilled into the Pacers' bench.

Toronto's DeMar DeRozan took exception to Stephenson's basket, which seemed to break one of basketball's cardinal rules. Coaches tried to separate players as the action moved down the court and into the Pacers bench. DeRozan, Stephenson and Toronto guard P.J. Tucker all received technical fouls.

DeRozan led the Raptors with 27 points.

Afterward, Tucker called the play "classless" and "tasteless." Stephenson apologized.

"I didn't mean no harm," Stephenson said. "The crowd was chanting me on and I just wanted to do it for the fans."

George heeded his coach's advice. Rather than bask in glittery stats, the four-time All-Star dug down, rallied his teammates and gritted out a victory that may have saved the Pacers' playoff hopes.

"I haven't felt that in a long time," George said after his third-quarter duel with DeRozan. "As much as he was being aggressive and putting his team on his shoulders, I had to do the same."

It worked.

George helped Indiana pull off one of its biggest comebacks all season to temporarily move into a tie with Chicago for the No. 7 slot in the East -- a half-game ahead of Miami, which was idle Tuesday. The Heat return to action Wednesday when the Pacers are off.

Miami and Chicago hold tiebreaker advantages over the Pacers.

The next challenge for Indiana is proving they can keep winning, and with Stephenson back in town, they could.

Indiana trailed by as much as 45-26 in a listless first half that drew boos from the crowd.

But after Indiana took its first lead on Jeff Teague's 3-pointer with 5:48 left in the third, George cranked it up. He scored 14 of the Pacers' last 19 points in the quarter, giving Indiana a 77-75 lead. And after Indiana started the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to make it 88-77, Toronto never challenged again.

"He's tough, he is one of the best in the league for a reason," DeRozan said, referring to George. "Once he got going and his shots went in, they all got going."


Tuesday, April 4 Scoreboard

Brooklyn 141, Philadephia 118

Washington 118, Charlotte 111

Cleveland 122, Orlando 102

Indiana 108, Toronto 90

Denver 134, New Orleans 131

Oklahoma City 110, Milwaukee 79

New York 100, Chicago 91

San Antonio 95, Memphis 89 (OT)

Utah 106, Portland 87

Golden State 121, Minnesota 107

Sacramento 98, Dallas 87


Wednesday, April 5 Schedule (All Times Central)

Miami at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Houston, 7 p.m.

Denver at Houston, 7 p.m.

Cleveland at Boston, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Golden  State at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers, 9:30 p.m.