Vucevic helps Bulls win over Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS: Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 36 points and had 17 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 31 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers, 122-115, on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

Vucevic went 16 of 21 from the field and had four assists and three blocks to help Eastern Conference-leading Chicago win for the four time in six games. All-Star Zach LaVine sat out because of back spasms.

Caris LeVert had a season-high 42 points for Indiana. The recently signed Terry Taylor had 21 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

Jazz 125, Nets 102

In Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points in his return from a concussion that sidelined him for eight games, Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points and Utah routed short-handed Brooklyn.

Utah scored for first 10 points in its third wire-to-wire victory of the season to send the Nets to a season-high seventh straight loss.

Mitchell shot 8 for 10 from the floor and had six 3-pointers and six assists in 22 minutes.

Brooklyn rookie Cam Thomas had a career-high 30 points. The Nets were without James Harden (hamstring), Kevin Durant (knee), LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) and Joe Harris (ankle).

Cavaliers 102, Hornets 101

In Charlotte, Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and scored 25 points and Cleveland held on beat Charlotte.

Jarrett Allen had a career-high 29 points and 22 rebounds, and Love scored 22 of his points in the second half as the Cavaliers overcame a bizarre technical foul on bench player Ed Davis with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter.

Davis, who was on the Cavaliers' bench in warmups and never played, interfered with Terry Rozier's 3-point attempt by swatting at his arm, apparently thinking the play was over. Replays appeared to show a whistle had blown before Rozier attempted the shot. Davis was whistled for a technical. However, officials credited Rozier with a successful 3-pointer — even though the ball never went in — and he made the free throw for the technical, cutting the Cavaliers' lead to six.

Source: TheManila Times