(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Sunday’s National Basketball Association games:
– – –
Heat 97, Wizards 75
Chris Bosh scored 23 points and Hassan Whiteside’s defensive presence disrupted Washington as Miami cruised to a 97-75 win on Sunday.
Whiteside only scored six points, but blocked six shots and altered numerous others while grabbing 13 rebounds for the Heat. Goran Dragic scored 18 points in Miami’s second straight win.
The Heat took control in the second quarter by outscoring the clanking Wizards 25-7.
– – –
Bulls 115, Raptors 113
Shooting guard Jimmy Butler scored 40 of his 42 points in the second half and the Chicago Bulls came back to defeat the Toronto Raptors 115-113.
Butler’s three-pointer gave Chicago the lead with 30.6 seconds to play in a game that they had trailed by as many as 15 points.
Center Pau Gasol added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls (20-12) with forward Nikola Mirotic scoring 17 points.
Guard DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points but missed his shot at the final buzzer.
– – –
Knicks 111, Hawks 97
Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 37 points and made 12 straight shots as the New York Knicks barely trailed en route to a win over Atlanta.
Afflalo had his best game as a Knick and did so after scoring 17 on 8-of-28 shooting in his previous three games. He made 14-of-17 shots, including all seven of his three-point attempts.
– – –
Trail Blazers 112, Nuggets 106
Guard CJ McCollum scored 25 points, guard Gerald Henderson had 18, and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away in the fourth to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-106.
Forward Al-Farouq Aminu and guard Allen Crabbe had 14 points apiece for the Trail Blazers. Portland (15-21) has won four of its last five.
Forward Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 29 points in his second game back from a sprained left ankle. The Nuggets (12-23) have lost six in a row.
– – –
Lakers 97, Suns 77
Guard Lou Williams scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers extended the Phoenix Suns’ losing streak to nine games with a 97-77 victory at Staples Center.
Williams connected on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor and six of seven THREE-pointers as the Lakers (8-27) captured three games in a row for the first time since Feb. 2015.
Forward Larry Nance Jr added 15 points and 14 rebounds, center Roy Hibbert had 13 points and six rebounds and guard Jordan Clarkson finished with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Los Angeles.
