CLEVELAND — LeBron James notched his first triple-double of the season Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers all but clinched the NBA Central Division title with a 99-94 win over Chicago. Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James finished with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Cavs post their 18th straight home win.
Cleveland pulled four games ahead of the second-placed Bulls in the Central Division with five games to play.
J.R. Smith made half of Cleveland's whopping 16 three-pointers and finished with 24 points.
Kyrie Irving added 27 points, including a stunning shot from beyond halfcourt as the shot-clock ran down late in the third quarter.
The shot — from more than 50 feet out — swished through the net, part of a 10-0 Cleveland scoring burst that extended their lead to 75-60.
Mike Dunleavy led Chicago with 24 points, while Aaron Brooks added 17 and Jimmy Butler chipped in 16 in the Bulls' second defeat in three games.
Among Cleveland's 10 three-pointers in the first half were impressive buzzer-beaters by Irving and Smith to end the first and second quarters, which helped the hosts take a 54-45 lead into halftime.
The Bulls narrowed the gap to 79-71 going into the fourth quarter, and pulled within five at 92-87 with just over three minutes to play.
Two of their next three possessions ended in turnovers, and Nikola Mirotic missed a three-pointer on the other.
Rockets 115, Thunder 112: James Harden scored 41 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The victory (53-24) keeps the Rockets locked in second place in the Western Conference, a game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Thunder (42-35) retained the No. 8 spot in the West standings, but their lead over the idle New Orleans Pelicans was reduced to a half-game with five remaining. The Pelicans have six games left.
Russell Westbrook paced the Thunder with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season.
Pacers 112, Heat 89: Indiana Pacers' guard/forward Paul George, sidelined since Aug. 1 with a broken right leg, made a triumphant return with 13 points in 15 minutes in a victory against the struggling Miami Heat.
George entered the game to a standing ovation with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter and made his first field goal attempt, a short jumper with 3:42 left in the period that gave Indiana a 20-14 lead.
Luis Scola led Indiana (34-43) with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The win moved Indiana within a game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Spurs 107, Warriors 92: Kawhi Leonard matched his career best for the regular season with 26 points and set a personal mark with seven steals as the Spurs defeated Golden State for their seventh consecutive victory.
Clippers 106, Lakers 78: Blake Griffin scored 18 points to lead six players in double figures as the Los Angeles Clippers hammered the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers (20-56) set a franchise record for losses in a season, topping last season's mark (27-55) under former coach Mike D'Antoni.
Knicks 101, 76ers 91: Outscoring the visitors 16-6 in the final five minutes, the New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jazz 101, Kings 95: Rodney Hood scored nine straight points during a decisive 14-2 run late in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz continued their second-half surge with a victory over the Sacramento Kings. — Agencies
