Bucks defeat Cavaliers squad playing without LeBron James, Kevin Love

Brandon Knight scored 26 points last night as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks earned a 96-80 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played without LeBron James for the second straight game.

James again was sidelined because of a sore left knee and Kevin Love was out with back spasms. The Cavaliers lost for the fourth time in five games.

Cavaliers coach David Blatt said playing without a full roster is a challenge but added: "No excuses. We've got to play and we've got to compete and do everything we can to win basketball games."

O.J. Mayo scored 15 points for the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kyrie Irving scored 25 for the Cavs.

Thunder 137, Suns 134: Kevin Durant had 44 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as host Oklahoma City won in overtime. Durant had missed six games with a sprained right ankle Russell Westbrook was ejected with 7.8 seconds left in the first half after scoring 20 points in 17 minutes. Eric Bledsoe had 29 points, Markieff Morris 25 and Goran Dragic 21 for the Suns.

Rockets 102, Hornets 83: James Harden scored 36 points to lead host Houston. He made eight three-pointers and had six assists and seven rebounds in his NBA-leading 14th 30-point game this season.

Spurs 95, Pelicans 93: Manu Ginobili had 26 points as the Spurs won in overtime and avoided their fourth OT loss at home in December. They went 1-4 in OT in the month, becoming the first team in NBA history to lose consecutive games in triple overtime. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 10 rebounds, tying Karl Malone for fifth in career double-doubles with 814. Anthony Davis' 21 points and 12 rebounds led New Orleans.

Pacers 106, Heat 95: C.J. Miles scored 25 points and George Hill added 20 for host Indiana, which rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit. Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Chris Bosh had 18 points and eight rebounds in the Heat's third straight loss.

Celtics 106, Kings 84: Jared Sullinger had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help host Boston snap a four-game losing streak. Darren Collison and Carl Landry each scored 14 points to lead the Kings, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games. Sacramento forward DeMarcus Cousins was ejected after collecting his second technical of the game midway through the final quarter.-- AP