ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Zach LaVine bounced back from a poor performance a night earlier and scored 39 points as the Chicago Bulls routed the injury-plagued Orlando Magic 118-92. LaVine scored just two points in the first three quarters of Friday’s loss to the Magic and responded to coach Billy Donovan’s request that he play with more aggression early in the game. He scored 22 points in the first half and chipped in seven rebounds and four assists as the Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak. Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, who scored a career-best 43 points in Friday’s win, had 17 points and eight rebounds.
In other NBA news:
— Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) followed his 47-point performance earlier this week by torching the Sacramento Kings for 50, but it wasn’t enough for the Denver Nuggets to avoid a third straight loss. Harrison Barnes hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 as the Kings downed the Nuggets, 119-114 to complete a season sweep. Barnes shot 10 of 16 overall, scored 13 in the third quarter and made a pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining. Jokic just missed adding to his franchise record of 46 triple-doubles with another huge night. The big man had 12 assists and nine rebounds and scored 23 points in the fourth quarter.
— Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard is suggesting the NBA is prioritizing money over the health of its players in planning to stage the All-Star Game in March. Last year’s All-Star Game MVP says the exhibition scheduled for Atlanta is “money on the line, it’s an opportunity to make more money. Just putting money over health right now, pretty much.” The league has not said when players would have to report and how testing will work in Atlanta, or if fans will be part of the game.
— The Lakers blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter before outlasting the Pistons in double-overtime, 135-129. LeBron James finished with 33 points and 11 assists, Anthony Davis contributed 30 points and Dennis Schroder (SHROO’-dur) added 22 to help Los Angeles avoid a season sweep by struggling Detroit.
— The Bucks won their fourth in a row as Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) provided 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 124-99 rout of the Cavaliers. Jrue Holiday scored 20 and Milwaukee broke the game open with a 42-18 run spanning the third and fourth quarters.
— Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chihch) tied his career high with 42 points in a scoring duel with Stephen Curry, leading the Mavericks to a 134-132 victory over the Warriors. Curry nailed a season-high 11 3-pointers on the way to 57 points, five before the career high he set earlier this season.
— Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) scored 33 points and Ben Simmons just missed a triple-double in the 76ers’ 124-108 thumping of the short-handed Nets. Simmons contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists against Brooklyn, which played without starters Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
— DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and the Spurs held off a late charge from the Rockets for a 111-106 victory. John Wall had 27 points and Eric Gordon scored 26 off the bench for the Rockets, who erased a 10-point deficit in the final period before losing for the second time in three games following a six-game winning streak.
— The Thunder coughed up a 23-point lead before Darius Bazley (BAYZ’-lee) made the tiebreaking layup with 1:16 to play in a victory over the Timberwolves, 120-118. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for Oklahoma City, which scored a team-record 83 in the first half but only 13 in the third quarter.
— The Pelicans picked up their third win in a row as Brandon Ingram had 27 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high four blocks in a 118-109 victory against the Grizzlies. Zion Williamson capped his 29-point night with a game-sealing dunk in the final minute.
— The Hawks stopped a three-game skid as Trae Young and Clint Capela each had double-doubles in a 132-121 downing of the Raptors. Young had 28 points and 13 assists and Capela finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds to help Atlanta end Toronto’s winning streak at three games.
— Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle scored 22 points apiece to power the Knicks to their second straight win, 110-99 versus the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard scored 29 points in his return to the lineup but Portland had its two-game winning streak end.
— Zach LaVine (lah-VEEN’) poured in 39 points and the Bulls ended a two-game losing streak by ripping the injury-plagued Magic, 118-92. LaVine scored 22 points in the first half and chipped in seven rebounds and four assists
