CJ McCollum bombed in a career-high 50 points as the Portland Trail Blazers breezed past the visiting Chicago Bulls 124-108 on Wednesday.
McCollum was 18 of 25 from the field, 6 of 9 from 3-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line in a sterling 29-minute show for the Trail Blazers, who have won four in a row and seven of the past eight.
Damian Lillard chipped in 13 points and seven assists, and Jusuf Nurkic had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who never trailed and led by as many as 29 points.
Zach LaVine scored 23 points and Denzel Valentine had 15 for the Bulls.
Cavaliers 91, Heat 89
LeBron James scored a game-high 24 points as Cleveland defeated visiting Miami. James struggled from the field, shooting 8 of 21, and committed seven turnovers but finished with 11 rebounds.
Kyle Korver made one of two free throws with seven seconds remaining that gave the Cavaliers their final margin. Miami's James Johnson rebounded Korver's missed free throw and dribbled down the court but couldn't release a game-tying attempt near the paint with James guarding him as time expired.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 18 points and six assists.
Suns 102, Mavericks 88
Rookie Josh Jackson tied a career high with 21 points and TJ Warren had 20 as Phoenix broke a five-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Dallas.
Marquese Chriss had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Devin Booker scored 15 points as both returned to the lineup after missing the previous game for the Suns, who lost Isaiah Canaan for the season with a fractured left ankle late in the first quarter. Canaan sustained the ugly looking injury on a drive to the basket, and he was stretchered off the floor.
Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17 points, Harrison Barnes had 15 points and Dirk Nowitzki contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavs, who have lost five games in a row.
Celtics 103, Knicks 73
Terry Rozier had a triple-double in his first career start in place of Kyrie Irving, and Marcus Morris had 20 points off the bench as Boston defeated visiting New York.
Enes Kanter had 17 points and 17 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis added 16 points to lead the Knicks, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Even without the services of Irving, sidelined with a quad contusion, the Celtics dominated offensively, outshooting New York 48 percent to 32 percent. Boston won for the third time in four games, getting 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists from Rozier.
Pacers 105, Grizzlies 101
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 to lead seven Indiana players in double figures on the way to a victory over visiting Memphis.
Wayne Selden, who had a team-high 24 points, kept the Grizzlies close by hitting four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Memphis guard Tyreke Evans, who is averaging a team-high 19.5 points, began warming up before he was sent back to the hotel, fueling speculation that he will be traded. That left the Grizzlies with just nine available players.
Magic 127, Lakers 105
Marreese Speights led seven Orlando players in double figures with 21 points in a rout of Los Angeles at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
Starting for leading scorer Aaron Gordon (hip), Speights delivered his most productive showing with the Magic. In his 26th career game with at least 20 points, Speights made 6 of 11 shots.
Los Angeles lost for the ninth time in its past 10 visits to Orlando, allowing more than 125 points for the fifth time and trailing for the final 41-plus minutes.
Hornets 123, Hawks 110
Kemba Walker scored 38 points, responding after Atlanta nearly caught up, as Charlotte earned a rare road victory.
Walker scored 16 of his 19 third-quarter points after the Hawks trimmed the margin to one point midway through the period.
Walker finished with a career-best nine 3-point baskets on 13 attempts from long range. Teammate Nic Batum provided a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Kent Bazemore led Atlanta with 25 points.
Nets 116, 76ers 108
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points, D'Angelo Russell added 22 and Brooklyn defeated visiting Philadelphia.
It was the first time all season that Dinwiddie and Russell scored at least 20 points in the same game.
Joel Embiid had 29 points and 14 rebounds while Ben Simmons scored 24 points for the 76ers. JJ Redick returned from a seven-game absence caused by a leg injury to contribute 20 points.
LeBron open to meeting Warriors in free agency
Though it would be a long shot, LeBron James joining the Golden State Warriors this offseason appears to at least be a possibility.
James, expected to turn down his $35.6 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent, would be willing to meet with the Warriors if they can clear space to offer him a max contract, according to a report from ESPN on Thursday morning.
The report states there is no indication that the Warriors plan to implement such a strategy at this time.
James and his business team are said to covet structure, which is why the consistency the Warriors have built in recent years would appear to be of interest to the 33-year-old star, who is averaging 26.6 points, 8.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds this season.
Complicating such a scenario is the Warriors' league-high payroll, which is around $135 million. Possible ways for the team to free up space include getting Kevin Durant to take another pay cut or constructing a sign-and-trade proposal that would likely have to include Klay Thompson.
After this season, Thompson will have one year left on his current extension and will likely be seeking a max deal of his own once it expires.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry's contract is set to start paying him north of $40 million annually from the 2019-20 season through 2021-22.