Evan Mobley scored 17 points, Jarrett Allen added 17 and 13 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from an embarrassing loss at Miami 24 hours earlier by beating the Charlotte Hornets 115-92 on Monday night.
Mobley also had a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds in only 25 minutes. It was his second game back after he was sidelined for nine by a sprained ankle.
The Cavs were blown out by 37 on Sunday by the Heat, who were up 45 at one point. The loss seemed to be rock bottom for a tired Cleveland team dealing with injuries and sliding backwards in the Eastern Conference standings.
But a matchup against the struggling Hornets was just what the Cavs needed to stop a three-game losing streak.
Georges Niang made five 3-pointers and scored 17 for Cleveland, which had lost six of eight and came in just four games clear of a play-in spot after being among the East’s top teams for months.
Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Miles Bridges had 13 for Charlotte. The 17-win Hornets have dropped five straight and 12 of 14.
NETS 96, RAPTORS 88
TORONTO (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 19 points against his former team, Trendon Watford had 11 of his season-high 19 points in the second quarter and Brooklyn snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the short-handed Toronto Raptors.
Mikal Bridges scored 13 points and Jalen Wilson added 12 as the Nets won for the first time since March 10 at Cleveland.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points and Javon Freeman-Liberty had 15 for Toronto. The Raptors have lost 11 straight and are winless since a home victory over Charlotte on March 3.
KNICKS 124, PISTONS 99
NEW YORK (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo made a franchise-record 11 3-pointers and scored a career-best 40 points, leading New York to a rout of Detroit.
DiVincenzo broke the Knicks’ single-game record of 10 that was held by J.R. Smith and Evan Fournier, and moved into third in the NBA in 3-pointers made this season. He would have had one more, but one of his 3s in the third quarter was later overturned because he had first stepped out of bounds.
But the swingman stayed in the blowout long enough to get the record-setter with 3:16 remaining, then checked out shortly after to an ovation.
Jalen Brunson added 28 points, and Josh Hart had 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his sixth triple-double this season. The Knicks won for the sixth time in seven games and remained a half-game behind Cleveland for third place in the Eastern Conference.
Marcus Sasser scored 24 points for the NBA-worst Pistons, who lost their seventh straight and fell to 12-60. They were without top player Cade Cunningham, along with Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Simone Fontecchio and Isaiah Stewart because of injuries.
HAWKS 120, CELTICS 118
ATLANTA (AP) — De’Andre Hunter scored 24 points, including a clinching 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining, and the patched-together Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 30-point deficit Monday night for a stunning 120-118 victory over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
The Celtics had won 20 of 22 and brought a nine-game winning streak into State Farm Arena — a run that certainly appeared in no jeopardy when Al Horford’s 3-pointer put Boston up 68-28 with just under 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
But the Hawks, clinging to the final play-in spot in the East and one of the league’s most disappointing teams, launched a comeback out of nowhere with All-Star guard Trae Young and three other key players sidelined by injuries.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 22 points and Murray chipped in with 19, but it was several players who are normally buried deep on the bench who really carried the Hawks.
The Celtics lost despite 37 points from Jayson Tatum. Brown added 24.
