NBA: Pacers halt Cavaliers' winning streak

Despite star point guard Tyrese Haliburton sitting out the second half with left hamstring tightness, the Indiana Pacers put an end to the Cleveland Cavaliers' 12-game winning streak by pulling away for a 108-93 victory on Sunday.

Haliburton managed just two points in 19 minutes before departing, but the Pacers had six other players score in double figures to complement a stout defensive effort that dealt the NBA-leading Cavaliers just their second defeat in 22 home games this season.

Andrew Nembhard particularly stepped up in Haliburton's absence by producing 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Pascal Siakam added 18 points and nine rebounds and Myles Turner had 15 points and 10 boards in Indiana's season-high sixth consecutive win.

The Pacers extended their streak despite trailing 53-40 at half-time. They outscored Cleveland by a 68-40 margin in the second half, however, while shooting over 61 per cent over the final two quarters and limiting the Cavs to a 28.2 per cent field goal rate after half-time.

Cleveland was held under 100 points for the first time this season. Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 20 points, while Donovan Mitchell had 19 in the loss and Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

lock down defense we are the first team this season to hold the Cavaliers to under 100 points. pic.twitter.com/Vrvi3LTiPB

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 13, 2025

Indiana got back in it by putting together a 13-0 run to pull within 60-58 midway through the third quarter, then took control later in the period with a 17-2 spurt to grab a 77-67 lead with one minute left before the fourth.

The Cavs countered with a 6-0 run to trim their deficit to four early in the fourth quarter, but Pacers' reserve Jarace Walker scored the next five points to start a 13-5 flurry that increased Indiana's advantage to 90-78 with seven minutes left.

Kings get past Bulls to extend winning streak to seven

De'Aaron Fox returned from a three-game absence to record 26 points and nine rebounds as the Sacramento Kings continued their surge under interim head coach Doug Christie with Sunday's 124-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

After dropping their first game since Christie replaced the fired Mike Brown on Dec. 27, the Kings have won seven straight to climb into ninth place in the Western Conference standings.

Sacramento also received 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Domantas Sabonis, while DeMar DeRozan had 21 points in his first appearance at Chicago's United Center since being traded by the Bulls to the Kings during the offseason.

Chicago had a four-game home winning streak snapped despite Zach LaVine's 36 points and 10 rebounds. Josh GIddey also recorded a double-double for the Bulls with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with seven assists.

A tightly contested game in which neither side led by more than eight points was decided in the final six minutes.

The Bulls took a 113-111 edge on LaVine's 3-pointer with 6:30 remaining, but Keon Ellis answered with a 3-pointer of his own shortly afterward to put Sacramento back in front.

Up 120-119 late, the Kings then held the Bulls scoreless over the final two-plus minutes to prevail. Chicago missed its final four shots and committed two late turnovers as Sacramento sealed the outcome on two free throws each from Fox, who had been sidelined by a bruised gluteal muscle, and Sabonis in the waning stages.

Road W. pic.twitter.com/Eqs9sSOuYR

— Domantas Sabonis (@Dsabonis11) January 13, 2025

Brunson's 44 points sparks Knicks' blowout of Bucks

Jalen Brunson poured in 44 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 30 as the New York Knicks returned to their recent winning ways with a 140-106 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Towns added 18 rebounds and Cameron Payne contributed 18 points off the bench as the Knicks bounced back strongly from Friday's 25-point home loss to the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. New York had lost four of five following a season-high nine-game winning streak from Dec. 15-Jan. 1.

Milwaukee got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Giannis Antetokoumpo and 22 points from fellow star Damian Lillard, but played from behind virtually throughout to have a three-game winning streak come to an end.

Brunson was on fire from the outset, scoring 23 first-quarter points on 7-of-11 shooting as the Knicks took a slim 36-33 edge into the second. Towns and Payne then took over in the next quarter, as each delivered 13 points to help New York stretch its lead to 75-62 at the break.

our fearless leader Vote Jalen #NBAAllStar Starterhttps://t.co/ZaYEPRZwLl pic.twitter.com/bvSHTvV8jz

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 12, 2025

The Knicks then opened the third quarter on a 17-3 run, with Brunson accounting for five of those points, to extend the margin to 92-65 four minutes into the second half.

Milwaukee never got its deficit below 16 points from that point on, and shot just 24 per cent from the field while being outscored by a 32-17 margin in the fourth quarter.