Knicks 124, Hornets 101

The New York Knicks stopped their slide with an impressive performance on both sides of the court.

Especially in the third quarter.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, and the Knicks snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over Charlotte on Saturday night.

New York had five players in double figures in its highest scoring game of the season. Frank Ntilikina had 15 points, Trey Burke scored 14 and Troy Williams finished with 13.

"I just hate to lose in general," Hardaway said. "I was just trying to stay calm, stay poised if we were in a situation where we were down or it was close in the game."

The Knicks outscored the Hornets 42-17 in the third. Charlotte was just 4 of 23 from the field in the period.

Dwayne Bacon led the Hornets with 15 points, and Dwight Howard finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Hornets shot 36.7 percent (33 for 90) for the game.

"It seems like they were making lots of shots tonight. There are gonna be nights like that," Howard said. "I didn't think it was going to be that bad, but it was a tough one for us. We are playing pretty good as of late, but tonight we just laid an egg."

Kemba Walker made a 3-pointer to get Charlotte within seven with 7:15 left in the third. But New York closed the quarter with a 32-7 run.

Ntilikina made two foul shots, Hardaway connected from beyond the arc and Isaiah Hicks hit a jumper to give the Knicks a 99-67 lead heading into the fourth. Hicks finished with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting.

"One of the keys tonight was maybe to wake some players on this team. Maybe wake everybody up," Ntilikina said. "I mean, we were just tired of losing and we showed it tonight."

New York led by as many as 38 at 105-67 with 10:40 remaining.

Frank Kaminsky and Malik Monk each scored 12 points for the Hornets, while Walker and Marvin Williams finished with 10 apiece.

It was the Knicks' first win since a 120-113 victory at Orlando on Feb. 22.

The Knicks have allowed their opponent to score at least 100 points in 16 straight games. They are 2-14 during that stretch. The last time New York held an opponent to less than 100 points was a 99-96 loss to Atlanta on Feb. 4.

Cavaliers 114, Bulls 109

LeBron James scored 33 points as part of a triple-double, Jordan Clarkson had a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:27 left and Cleveland beat Chicago.

James had 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 15th triple-double of the season, and Jeff Green added 21 points. Clarkson finished with 19 points to help the Cavaliers salvage a six-game split on their season-high six-game trip.

Denzel Valentine led Chicago with a career-high 34 points, hitting 8 of 11 from long range. The Bulls wiped out a 17-point halftime deficit even though they held out banged-up core players Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, only to come up short in the closing minutes.

Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue spent the second half in the locker room with an illness, another hit for an already short-handed team.

Wizards 109, Pacers 102

Bradley Beal scored 19 points, Marcin Gortat had 18 and Washington beat Indiana in a possible playoff preview.

Washington earned its second straight win to move into a tie with Indiana for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Wizards also claimed the first tiebreaker by taking two of three in the season series.

Washington went 10 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 54.8 percent from the field overall. Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 16 points for the Wizards, and Markieff Morris added 15.

Reserve Lance Stephenson led Indiana with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Victor Oladipo had 18 points.

Rockets 107, Pelicans 101

James Harden had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Houston won for the 21st time in 22 games by beating New Orleans.

Harden's highlights included his usual array of explosive drives and pull-up jumpers, including a 27-foot, straight-on 3 that put the Rockets up by nine with 1:31 left.

Chris Paul added 21 points and Clint Capela had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, winners of four straight since their 17-game winning streak ended against Toronto.

Anthony Davis had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 19 points for New Orleans, which has lost four of five since winning 10 straight.

Spurs 117, Timberwolves 101

LaMarcus Aldridge had 39 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat Minnesota.

San Antonio won its third straight to move into fifth in the Western Conference five days after dropping to 10th and out of playoff position.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which dropped to sixth in the West.

The Spurs had lost three straight and nine of 11 but are now unbeaten halfway through a six-game homestand.

Bucks 122, Hawks 117

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 23 points and Milwaukee held on for a win over Atlanta.

The Bucks finished off the Eastern Conference's worst team with a game-ending 11-5 run, pushing the pace after the Hawks lost ball-handler Dennis Schroder. The guard fouled out with 2:46 left, and was called for a technical foul after exchanging words with an official on the way to the sideline.

Middleton hit the free throw that started the run. The Hawks looked rushed on their next two possessions with a turnover and a blocked shot, allowing the Bucks to brush past them.

Trailing by 13 at one point, Atlanta put up a spirited fight before losing its 50th game of the year. Taurean Prince scored 38 points, while Schroder finished with 18.

Grizzlies 101, Nuggets 94

Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Tyreke Evans added 20 and Memphis snapped a 19-game losing streak with a victory over Denver.

Wayne Selden scored 16 points for Memphis by hitting 6 of 7 shots, including 4 of 5 from outside the arc. Marc Gasol added 14 points as Memphis won for the first time since Jan. 29.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamal Murray finished with 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Denver shot just 37 percent overall and 27 percent from 3-point range.