NBA roundup: Jimmy Butler scores 40, buzzer-beater lifts Bulls over Nets 101-99

Jimmy Butler matched his season high with 40 points and hit an 18-footer at the buzzer roughly five minutes after being helped off the court with an apparent injury Wednesday night to give the host Chicago Bulls a 101-99 comeback victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Butler scored nine points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to rally Chicago. He finished 11 for 11 from the free throw line and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bulls overcame a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes for their second consecutive win.

With just more than five minutes left, Butler came down on the foot of Brooklyn guard Randy Foye and had to be helped off the court.

Dwyane Wade had 16 points before leaving early in the fourth quarter with a migraine.

Brook Lopez had 33 points – including a career-high five 3-pointers – as the Nets dropped their 12th straight road game.

Golden State 121, Toronto 111: Kevin Durant scored 22 points and matched his season best with 17 rebounds as the Warriors held off the Raptors in Oakland, California.

Stephen Curry had 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Klay Thompson scored 21 for the Warriors. Durant also had seven assists and five blocks.

Upset with themselves for blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose 109-108 at Cleveland in an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas, the Warriors took it out on Toronto three days later.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points and became Toronto’s career scoring leader (10,290), passing Chris Bosh’s 10,275 points. But the Raptors had their franchise-record, seven-game road winning streak snapped.

Golden State has gone 119 straight regular-season games without losing back-to-back contests since April 2015 and has won 15 in a row after a defeat, going 5-0 this season.

San Antonio 119, Phoenix 98: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points and the Spurs defeated the Suns in San Antonio without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard.

After trailing by as many as 10 points, San Antonio forced seven turnovers while outscoring Phoenix 30-16 in the final quarter to capture its sixth straight win at home.

Tony Parker added 20 points and Pau Gasol had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who played without Leonard for the first time this season. The 6-foot-7 forward, who had a stomach virus, was replaced in the lineup by Kyle Anderson.

T.J. Warren led the Suns with 23 points.

New Orleans 102, L.A. Clippers 98: Anthony Davis highlighted a 20-point performance with a soaring, one-handed, alley-oop dunk during a pivotal fourth-quarter spurt, and the suddenly surging Pelicans beat the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Buddy Hield scored 17 points for the Pelicans, who have won three straight. Reserve guard Tyreke Evans added a season-high 12 in his sixth game back from a right knee injury.

Chris Paul returned from a three-game absence and scored 21 points against his old team, but couldn’t quite lift the Clippers out of their funk. Los Angeles has lost four straight.

Austin Rivers had 22 points for Los Angeles, and DeAndre Jordan pulled down 25 rebounds.

Atlanta 102, New York 98 (OT): Dennis Schroder scored 27 points, Dwight Howard added 16 points and 22 rebounds, and the Hawks took advantage of Carmelo Anthony’s second-quarter ejection to beat the Knicks in overtime in Atlanta.

Derrick Rose finished with 26 points for New York, but the star point guard fell as he was dribbling near the Knicks’ basket and lost his footing with 6 seconds left in overtime and Atlanta leading by one.

Schroder followed with a pair of free throws to make it 100-97. Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 24 points, was fouled as he shot a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but made just one of three free throws to end the suspense.

The Hawks had lost three straight and six of seven at home. They are 7-14 since beginning the season 9-2.

Atlanta didn’t trail again in overtime after Thabo Sefolosha hit a 3 to make it 89-88 with 3:54 left.

Charlotte 120, Orlando 101: Kemba Walker scored 21 points, Nicolas Batum had 20 and the Hornets used a huge third quarter to rout the Magic in Orlando, Florida.

Jeremy Lamb added 14 points and Ramon Sessions scored 13 off the bench as the Hornets won for the fourth time in five games. Charlotte shot 54.8 percent, including 10 of 24 on 3-pointers.

Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and Serge Ibaka had 20, all in the first half.

Batum nearly had a triple-double with nine rebounds and eight assists, but wasn’t needed in the fourth quarter when both teams emptied their benches. Charlotte outscored Orlando 35-13 in the third to break open a close game.

Washington 111, Indiana 105: John Wall had 36 points and 11 rebounds, and the Wizards held off the Pacers in Washington despite playing the second half without Bradley Beal.

Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points for the Wizards, and Wall finished one assist shy of his first triple-double this season. Beal, who sprained his right ankle in the first quarter, had 12 points in 18 minutes.

Paul George scored 34 and Jeff Teague added 19 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who trailed by 11 after three quarters and cut the deficit to two late in the fourth.

Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 16 rebounds for Washington.

The Wizards are 8-3 in their last 11 games, and have won seven straight at home. They’re within a game of .500 for the first time since losing their opener en route to a 2-8 start.

Indiana has lost four straight since beating Washington on Dec. 19.

Milwaukee 119, Detroit 94: Jabari Parker scored 31 points and Giannis Antetokuompo had 23 points and eight rebounds as the Bucks beat the Pistons in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Greg Monroe added 14 points, six assists and five rebounds against his former team to help the Bucks win for the second time in five games.

Tobias Harris had 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Detroit, which has dropped six of seven. The Pistons ended a five-game losing streak Monday with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rested LeBron James, but weren’t competitive against visiting Milwaukee.

Denver 105, Minnesota 103: Wilson Chandler scored 17 points and delivered a key block in the final seconds, helping the Nuggets hang on to beat the Timberwolves in Denver.

The Nuggets overcame a triple-double by Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Timberwolves.

Danilo Gallinari scored 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 27 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic was two rebounds shy of a triple-double for the Nuggets. He finished with 16 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins had 25 points for the Timberwolves, and Gorgui Dieng added 20. Zach LaVine just missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Portland 102, Sacramento 89: CJ McCollum scored 20 points and the Trail Blazers snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over the Kings in Portland, Oregon.

Meyers Leonard added 16 off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who played without leading scorer Damian Lillard for the second straight game because of a sprained left ankle.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 28 points but the Kings had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Mason Plumlee finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for Portland.

Sacramento was without Rudy Gay because of a right hip flexor strain.