NBA season 2014-15: Atlanta Hawks win 12th straight game, Golden State record big victory

ATLANTA recorded its 12th straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls, while there was also a big win for Golden State over Houston.

Chicago Bulls' Aaron Brooks (0) passes around Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford (15) and Thabo Sefolosha (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. Atlanta won 107-99. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

ATLANTA recorded its 12th straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls, while there was also a big win for Golden State over Houston with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson starring.

Golden State’s Andrew Bogut draws a foul from Houston Rockets' Dwight Howard.

HOW THE AUSSIES FARED

Andrew Bogut was the only Australian in action on Saturday and he had a relatively underwhelming outing for the Warriors against the Rockets.

The 7-foot-1 centre spent 19 minutes, 55 seconds on court but contributed only two points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. He also turned the ball over three times as the Warriors improved to 32-6 in the Pacific division.

Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose goes up for a shot against Atlanta Hawks' Paul Millsap and Jeff Teauge.

HAWKS 107, BULLS 99

Kyle Korver made a season-high seven 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 107-99 Saturday night for their 12th straight victory.

Al Horford added 22 points and nine rebounds as the Hawks matched the second-longest win streak in franchise history. Paul Millsap scored 16 and Jeff Teague had 17 points and 11 assists.

The Hawks (33-8) have won 26 of 28 since a 7-6 start, surging to the top of the Eastern Conference with one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses and a stingy defence. They closed out the first half of the season with impressive road wins over Toronto and Chicago on consecutive nights.

Derrick Rose had 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for Chicago (27-15), which has dropped five of seven. Pau Gasol had 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Houston Rockets' Patrick Beverley is pressured by Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.

WARRIORS 131, ROCKETS 106

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 27 points each, and Golden State used a huge third quarter to roll past Houston.

Golden State bounced back from a loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night that snapped an eight-game winning streak.

The Warriors led by five at half-time and used a 38-point third quarter, with 15 points from Curry, to take a 22-point lead into the fourth.

Dwight Howard, who missed the first two games against the Warriors this season, led Houston with 23 points and 10 rebounds on a night when NBA leading scorer James Harden scored just 11.

It was Golden State’s third win over Houston this season, marking the first time the Warriors have won a season series against the Rockets since 2006-07. They finish the series on Wednesday at Golden State.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph drives around Portland Trail Blazers centre Meyers Leonard.

GRIZZLIES 102, TRAIL BLAZERS 98

Zach Randolph had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Beno Udrih made two key baskets in the final minute to help Memphis beat Portland for its fourth straight victory.

The Grizzlies were up by as many as 20 in the second half, but the lead dwindled to 95-93 when Damian Lillard connected on a 3-pointer with 1:06 left. Udrih’s 20-footer as the shot clock expired on the next possession helped Memphis maintain the lead.

Lillard hit another 3 with 27 seconds left, but Udrih made a 22-footer with 8.7 seconds to go.

Jeff Green and Courtney Lee matched Udrih’s 17 points, and Marc Gasol finished with 15.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 32 points, and Wesley Matthews had 25. The loss gave Portland its first three-game losing streak this season.

Washington Wizards forward Nene looks skyward after making a free throw against the Chicago Bulls.

WIZARDS 99, NETS 90

Nene scored 20 points, three other Washington big men were in double figures, and the Wizards beat Brooklyn to split their home-and-home series.

Overpowered by Brook Lopez on Friday in Washington, the Wizards bounced back behind 10 points and 16 rebounds from Marcin Gortat, and strong bench efforts from Kris Humphries (13 points) and Kevin Seraphin (12).

Bradley Beal finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Wizards, who shot 52 per cent from the field to overcome their 14-of-27 effort at the free throw line.

Jarrett Jack had 22 points and eight assists for the Nets, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with their 102-80 victory Friday.

Lopez scored 26 points off the bench in that game and had 13 by half-time of this one. But the Wizards held him to two points after the break and turned around the game with an 18-2 run in the third quarter.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson.

CLIPPERS 117, KINGS 108

Blake Griffin scored 18 of his 30 points in the second half, Matt Barnes had 26 points and Los Angeles pulled away in the third quarter to beat Sacramento.

Chris Paul added 12 points and nine assists, J.J. Redick had 18 points and Jamal Crawford scored 13 off the bench for the Clippers, who bounced back from a sluggish first half to win for the fourth straight time at Sleep Train Arena.

Griffin had 13 points in the third quarter and then scored five over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the game to help Los Angeles to its fourth win in six games.

Jason Thompson had 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for the Kings, who have dropped three straight. Sacramento played without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins.

Detroit Pistons' Kyle Singler drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers' Hollis Thompson.

PISTONS 107, 76ERS 89

Kyle Singler scored 20 points, Greg Monroe had a double-double and Detroit routed Philadelphia.

Singler shot 6 of 8 on 3-pointers and Monroe finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Pistons won for the ninth time in 11 games and improved to 6-15 at home. Six players scored in double figures for Detroit, and Andre Drummond grabbed 15 rebounds.

Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points for Philadelphia (8-32), but only one other starter reached double figures.

Charlotte Hornets' Gerald Henderson shoots over Indiana Pacers' Ian Mahinmi.

HORNETS 80, PACERS 71, OT

Gerald Henderson had 20 points and Charlotte defeated Indiana in overtime despite playing without its top two scorers.

The Hornets outscored the Pacers 12-3 in the extra period to hand Indiana its fourth straight loss. Charlotte was missing injured Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson.

Lance Stephenson scored 13 points and spent a good part of the night jawing at his former Pacers teammates, particularly Roy Hibbert.

David West had 19 points for the Pacers, who were 1 of 9 from the field in overtime.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist grabbed 16 rebounds for Charlotte, and Bismack Biyombo had 14.

Andrew Wigginsof the Minnesota Timberwolves takes a shot over Arron Afflalo of the Denver Nuggets.

TIMBERWOLVES 113, NUGGETS 105

Andrew Wiggins scored a career-high 31 points and Robbie Hummel had two big tip-in baskets in the fourth quarter, helping Minnesota hold off Denver.

The dynamic rookie out of Kansas was 11 of 17 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, as Minnesota improved to 4-16 on the road this season.

Hummel finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Thaddeus Young added 22 points.

Ty Lawson led Denver with 22 points. Jameer Nelson had 16 points in his home debut for the Nuggets.

Wiggins’ big night also included nine rebounds and four assists. His previous high was 29 points against Sacramento on Nov. 22.

Originally published as NBA season 2014-15: Atlanta Hawks win 12th straight game, Golden State record big victory