Bulls 93, Hawks 76
Luol Deng had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the short-handed Chicago Bulls used their stifling defense to shut down the host Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Playing without injured starters Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, Chicago dominated near the basket and got a lift from the frenetic play of Nate Robinson. The Bulls used only eight players for the second straight night, but it was more than enough for an impressive road win.
Taj Gibson had 19 points and matched his career high with 18 rebounds. Jimmy Butler added another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson went 4-for-6 from 3-point range and finished with 20 points.
Josh Smith led Atlanta with 19 points and 13 rebounds but he scored only three points in the second half. Jeff Teague scored 16, and Al Horford had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Hinrich had a procedure in Chicago on Saturday to have an infection cleaned out of his right elbow. Hinrich is expected to miss about a week.
Noah was held out with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Boozer participated in pregame wamups but was not in uniform due to a right hamstring injury.
The lack of depth didn’t hurt Chicago’s defense. The Bulls, who held Atlanta to 20 first-half points in a 97-58 win on Jan. 14 in Chicago, again frustrated the Hawks.
Atlanta made only 6-of-19 3-point attempts and shot 39.2 percent from the field overall.
The Hawks also were less than full strength. Guard Devin Harris was in uniform but did not play due to a sore left foot. Backup center Zaza Pachulia was held out with a sore right Achilles.
Knicks 120, Kings 81
Amare Stoudemire was 10-for-10 from the field for 21 points, and the host Knicks unleashed a 38-4 run on Sacramento in the first half and went on to their fourth straight victory. The Knicks actually trailed by 10 when Stoudemire entered in the first quarter. It was an awesome display by New York in front of some special guests: 150 children, their families and teachers from Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Knicks didn’t even need much from Carmelo Anthony, who tied a season low with nine points and had his run of 20-point games snapped at 31, the longest single-season streak in franchise history.
Timberwolves 115, Hornets 86
Dante Cunningham scored a season-high 18 points, Nikola Pekovic added 14 and the host Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Hornets to stop their six-game losing streak. Cunningham hit all nine of his shots to set a franchise record for most consecutive field goals without a miss. Anthony Davis scored 18 points for the Hornets, who played without Eric Gordon (knee).
Rockets 109, Bobcats 95
James Harden had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double, leading the host Rockets to the victory. Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was taken off the court on a stretcher in the fourth quarter after teammate Jeff Taylor collided with him going for a rebound. Kidd-Gilchrist was fitted with a neck brace and taken to the hospital. Chandler Parsons and Patrick Patterson scored 24 points apiece for the Rockets.
Spurs 96, Wizards 86
Tony Parker scored 19 points, Danny Green added 15 and Tiago Splitter had 12 for host San Antonio, which has won 18 straight at home. John Wall scored 21 points and Martell Webster had 14 for Washington, which has lost 13 straight to San Antonio.
Bucks 107, Magic 98
Monta Ellis had 21 points and 11 assists as the host Bucks handed the Magic their ninth straight loss. Brandon Jennings scored 20 points and Larry Sanders had 17 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots for Milwaukee. Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points and eight rebounds.
