MIAMI (AP) – Eric Gordon scored 16 of his 24 points in the third quarter and, even after losing Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson to injuries, the New Orleans Pelicans had no trouble beating the Miami Heat 105-91 on Saturday night.
Omer Asik scored 15 points and Tyreke Evans added 13 to help the Pelicans snap a four-game slide.
Mario Chalmers scored 20 points for Miami, which was playing for the first time since learning that All-Star forward Chris Bosh will miss the remainder of the season with blood clots on one of his lungs. The Heat made that announcement earlier Saturday.
Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat, who kept the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Goran Dragic, making his Miami debut after being acquired in a trade from Phoenix, had 12 points.
Davis departed with 3:07 minutes left in the first quarter, moments after he attempted a shot and made contact with Miami’s Hassan Whiteside.
Davis, who missed two games earlier this month, plus the All-Star Game because of the shoulder issue, immediately grimaced in pain and then hobbled off the court while grabbing the shoulder even before play could be stopped. Anderson was ruled out shortly before halftime after spraining his right knee jostling for a rebound.
Thunder 110, Hornets 103
Russell Westbrook had 33 points and ten assists and Oklahoma City beat hosts Charlotte for their fifth straight victory.
With Kevin Durant sidelined by soreness in his right foot, Westbrook was 12 of 27 from the field and nine from nine from the foul line, stretching his streak of consecutive free throws to 43.
Serge Ibaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and EnesKanter had ten points and 13 rebounds in his first game with the Thunder. Al Jefferson had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a season-high 20 points for Charlotte.
Clippers 126, Kings 99
J.J. Redick scored 24 points, hitting four three-pointers and all eight of his free throws, and Los Angeles routed Sacramento for their fourth straight victory.
Austin Rivers had a career-high 28 points and fellow reserve Jamal Crawford added 23 to help the Clippers improve to 4-1 without injured All-Star Blake Griffin. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points for the Kings. Coach George Karl was tagged with his first loss after winning his debut against Boston on Friday night.
Rockets 98, Raptors 76
In Houston, Corey Brewer had a season-high 26 points, James Harden scored 16 of his 20 points in Houston’s big third quarter and the Rockets cruised past Toronto.
Harden, the NBA scoring leader, got off to a tough start and had just four points by halftime. The Rockets led by four with less than 4 minutes left in the third before going on a 12-1 run, with seven points from Harden, to take a 68-53 lead into the fourth and end his night.
A night after handling Atlanta 105-80, the Raptors had a chance to extend their road winning streak to a franchise-record six games. Instead they were done in by 23 turnovers to snap a four-game winning streak overall and lose away from home for the first time since Jan. 21.
James Johnson led Toronto with 27 points.
Bulls 112, Suns 107
Pau Gasol had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Chicago beat revamped Phoenix for their fifth victory in six games in Chicago.
Jimmy Butler added 19 points, Derrick Rose had 16, Mike Dunleavy Jr. 15, and Taj Gibson and Aaron Brooks came on strong in the fourth quarter to finish with 12 points apiece.
P.J. Tucker led Phoenix with 20 points. Marcus Morris scored 17 points. Eric Bledsoe had 13, and so did Brandon Knight in his Suns debut. Phoenix lost for the seventh time in eight games.
