(Reuters) Anthony Davis scored 53 points as the New Orleans Pelicans won their sixth consecutive game, defeating the visiting Phoenix Suns 125-116 on Monday.
Davis added 18 rebounds and five blocks as the Pelicans came back from a 17-point, first-half deficit a day after overcoming an 18-point, second-half deficit to win in overtime at Milwaukee.
New Orleans made 31 of 40 free throws, including 21 of 26 by Davis, as the Suns’ three tallest players — Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Alex Len — all fouled out while trying to guard Davis. The Suns made 25 of 32 free throws. Jrue Holiday added 20 points, Emeka Okafor scored 14 points and Nikola Mirotic came off the bench to score 10 for the Pelicans. Devin Booker led the Suns with 40 points, and he added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Rockets 96, Jazz 85
James Harden scored 26 points, collected 11 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Houston past host Utah for its 13th consecutive victory.
Luc Mbah a Moute scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Chris Paul added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets.
Rudy Gobert led the Jazz with 17 points and added six rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 16 points and Ricky Rubio added 14. Utah blew a 15-point lead while committing 22 turnovers.
Mavericks 109, Pacers 103
Harrison Barnes scored 21 points and J.J. Barea had 19 points and nine assists as Dallas beat visiting Indiana.
Doug McDermott went 4 of 4 from 3-point range while scoring 15 points for the Mavericks, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Dwight Powell contributed 10 points and a career-best 14 rebounds.
Myles Turner had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Victor Oladipo scored 21 points for the Pacers, who saw their four-game winning streak end.
Nets 104, Bulls 87
Allen Crabbe scored 21 points as Brooklyn halted a season-high, eight-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Chicago.
DeMarre Carroll and Jarrett Allen each added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the second time in their past 14 games.
Kris Dunn scored 23 points for the Bulls, who dropped their fourth straight and 13th game in the past 16.
Celtics 109, Grizzlies 98
Kyrie Irving had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists as Boston built a large cushion and cruised to a victory over visiting Memphis.
Terry Rozier scored 15 points and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris added 13 apiece for the Celtics.
JaMychal Green had 21 points and 11 rebounds but couldn’t prevent the Grizzlies from dropping their 10th consecutive game, one shy of a season high. Memphis’ Marc Gasol had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Thunder 112, Magic 105
Paul George buried a 3-pointer with 58.5 seconds to play, helping host Oklahoma City stave off an Orlando rally.
George totaled a game-high 26 points for the Thunder, who were coming off a 112-80 shellacking at Golden State in a national showcase game on Saturday.
Evan Fournier hit five 3-pointers on a 19-point night for the Magic, who lost their sixth straight.
Warriors 125, Knicks 111
Klay Thompson had 26 points, Kevin Durant had 22 and Stephen Curry added 21 to lead Golden State to a win at New York.
The Warriors shot 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free-throw line.
Emmanuel Mudiay had the best game of his short Knicks career with 20 points, including 18 in the first half, and seven assists. New York lost its second straight game and fell for the 10th time in its past 11.
Lakers 123, Hawks 104
Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle combined for 40 points and 20 rebounds, and Los Angeles picked up its third consecutive win with a rout of host Atlanta.
Ingram finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers. He had a big third quarter, scoring 15 of his points to help Los Angeles pull away.
The Hawks, who have lost four in a row, had no answer for Randle in the paint. He bulled his way for 19 points and 10 rebounds. Taurean Prince scored 24 points, and Dennis Schroder added 20 points to lead Atlanta.
Raptors 123, Pistons 94
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points apiece as host Toronto overwhelmed struggling Detroit.
Lowry added six rebounds and four assists, while DeRozan chipped in a team-high seven assists. Serge Ibaka supplied 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals for Toronto, which bounced back after having its seven-game winning streak snapped by the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime on Friday night.
Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Timberwolves 118, Kings 100
Jeff Teague scored eight of his 20 points in a third-quarter runaway as Minnesota broke open a close game with a 34-17 burst on the way to a victory at Sacramento.
Playing for the second time without injured guard Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves used balanced scoring to tip off an important three-game trip with a convincing win. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns led all scorers with 26 points and all rebounders with 17.
Skal Labissiere had 20 points to pace the Kings, who completed a winless three-game homestand.
