NBA-Highlights of Monday's NBA games

Nov 24 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Monday's National Basketball Association games. - - - Raptors 104, Suns 100 Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors held on to defeat the Phoenix Suns 104-100 for their fifth win in a row. The Raptors led by 17 points early in the fourth quarter but two free throws by Eric Bledsoe gave the Suns a one-point lead with three minutes to play. The Raptors (12-2) regained the lead on a jumper by DeMar DeRozan and a layup by Kyle Lowry and while the Suns (9-6) tied it twice more they could not find a winning score. - - - Cavaliers 106, Magic 74 LeBron James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, as the Cleveland Cavaliers ended a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 victory over the Orlando Magic. Cavaliers (6-7) center Anderson Varejao finished with 14 points, and Kevin Love had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists while James added 11 assists. - - - Clippers 113, Hornets 92 Blake Griffin bounced back from a rare off night with 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and Chris Paul had 22 points and 15 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the reeling Charlotte Hornets 113-92. Griffin's performance, one assist shy of his first triple-double of the season, came a night after he was held to a season-low 12 points and four rebounds in a loss at Memphis. The Clippers (8-5) led 56-53 at halftime but pulled out to a 14-point lead early in the third quarter and maintained control over the Hornets (4-11) for the rest of the game. - - - Trail Blazers 114, 76ers 104 LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 33 points, 15 in the pivotal third quarter, as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the winless Philadelphia 76ers 114-104 for their eighth straight victory. Wesley Matthews added 17 points and Damian Lillard scored 16 for the Blazers (11-3). - - - Rockets 91, Knicks 86 James Harden scored 12 consecutive points down the stretch to lead the short-handed Houston Rockets to a 91-86 win over the New York Knicks. Houston (11-3) faced a surprisingly game challenge from the Knicks, who lost leading scorer Carmelo Anthony to back spasms at halftime. Even without Anthony, New York (4-11) surged to a six-point lead in the fourth quarter before Harden carried Houston to victory with a game-high 36 points. - - - Pacers 111, Mavericks 100 Indiana guard Donald Sloan, a Dallas native, scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Pacers to a gutsy 111-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers entered the game averaging 20 fewer points per game than the high-octane Mavs but it was Indiana's offense who stole the show with dead-eye three-point shooting helping to produce two 30-point quarters. The Pacers (6-8) won for the fifth time in seven games after starting the season 1-6 as Dallas (10-5) lost consecutive games for the first time this season after winning six in a row. - - - Bulls 97, Jazz 95 Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, and Pau Gasol added 23 points and nine rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 97-95 victory over the Utah Jazz. Derrick Rose chipped in 18 points in his return to the lineup for the Bulls after missing four games due to a hamstring injury. Derrick Favors scored 21 points and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds to lead Utah, who rallied from as many as 21 points down. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)