Chicago guard Jimmy Butler was lamenting his shooting touch of late before facing Phoenix but in the fourth quarter, with his team in need of a finishing kick, Butler scored 14 of his season-high 32 points as the Bulls beat the Suns 103-97 Wednesday. It was a fourth consecutive win for Chicago, which heads to Oakland for a meeting with the 12-0 Golden State Warriors Friday. "It felt good to make some shots and see the ball go through the net," said Butler, who was 14-for-41 from the field in his previous three games before going 11-for-23 on Wednesday. "My teammates just kept giving me the ball and telling me to shoot it whether I wanted to or not. They said to be aggressive and take the shots I think I can make. That's what I did." Butler had 20 points in the second half while playing all 24 minutes. He hit the 30-point mark for the eighth time in his career. Chicago (8-3) improved to 6-1 in their past seven trips to Phoenix dating back to 2007. Kirk Hinrich, starting in place of Derrick Rose (sprained left ankle), added 14 points and six assists in 24 minutes. Suns guard Brandon Knight scored 23 points, Eric Bledsoe had 21 points and seven assists, and P.J. Tucker added 20 points, two shy of his career high. Hornets 116, Nets 111 Nicolas Batum scored 24 points to lead seven players in double figures as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-111. Batum bounced back after going one of nine from the field for four points in a loss at New York on Tuesday. He had averaged 28.3 points in three games last week to earn Eastern Conference player of the week honors, including 33 in a win over Portland on Sunday. Magic 104, Timberwolves 101 (OT) Evan Fournier scored 26 points, including a game-winning three-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime to lead the Orlando Magic to a 104-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Amway Arena. Elfrid Payton added 24 points, including five in the overtime period. Mavericks 106, Celtics 102 Dallas rallied from seven points down in the final 7 1/2 minutes and then held on for its fifth straight win, a decision over Boston that ended the Celtics' three-game winning streak. Deron Williams hit two straight baskets, one a three-pointer, and then set Zasa Pachulia up for a layup as the Mavs used a 9-0 run to take control of the game. Thunder 110, Pelicans 103 Russell Westbrook scored 43 points to lead Oklahoma City to a 110-103 victory over New Orleans at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook shot 14-of-25 from the field to go along with eight assists and nine rebounds. Center Enes Kanter came off the Thunder bench to pour in 24 points and 14 rebounds. Spurs 109, Nuggets 98 Tony Parker poured in a season-high 25 points, and Kawhi Leonard added 20 points as San Antonio outshot Denver for its sixth consecutive victory. The Nuggets stayed within shouting distance early in the fourth quarter as Kenneth Faried hit for two baskets and a free throw and Jameer Nelson added a driving jumper. However, Leonard went to the rim for a layup off a feed by David West and then hit a long three-pointer to put the game out of reach. Rockets 108, Trail Blazers 103 (OT) James Harden posted a double-double as Houston rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat Portland in overtime at Toyota Center. Harden finished with 45 points and 11 assists, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Rockets snap a four-game losing streak in the debut of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who replaced fired Kevin McHale. Other results: Pacers 112, 76ers 85; Jazz 93, Raptors 89; Hawks 103, Kings 97.
