Washington Wizards' Paul Pierce (Rear L) has his shot blocked by Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford (R) as teammate Jeff Teague helps on the play in the fourth quarter of their NBA game in Atlanta Sunday. — AP
ATLANTA — With balanced scoring and a big fourth quarter, the red-hot Atlanta Hawks notched their eighth straight NBA win Sunday, 120-89 over the Washington Wizards. Kyle Korver hit five of seven from three-point range and led eight Atlanta players in double figures with 19 points. DeMarre Carroll delivered 16 points with four steals, Al Horford netted 15 points and Jeff Teague had 11 with a game-high 10 assists for the Hawks, who own a 3-1/2-game lead on Toronto and Chicago for best record in the East. With the win they separated themselves further atop from Washington atop the Southeast division as they head into a four-game road trip. John Wall led the Wizards with 15 points and eight assists, but also coughed up eight of their 20 turnovers. Wall's turnover tally was one shy of Atlanta's total of nine. Atlanta's reserves also outscored Washington's 48-27 to help the Hawks notch their fifth wire-to-wire victory of the season. Grizzlies 122, Suns 110 (2OT): Power forward Zach Randolph scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 122-110 in double overtime. Center Marc Gasol scored the first seven points of the second overtime as the Grizzlies escaped after blowing a 16-point second-half lead and avoided losing their third straight game. Heat 104, Clippers 90: Center Chris Bosh scored 34 points, and the Miami Heat shook off a slow start to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 104-90 on the road. Seven-foot center Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to deliver 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat (16-21), who crushed the Clippers on the boards 46-27, including a 15-6 edge on the offensive end. Kings 103, Cavaliers 84: Center DeMarcus Cousins scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his 21st double-double of the season, leading the Sacramento Kings to a 103-84 victory over the reeling Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost their season-high fifth consecutive game. Center Timofey Mozgov had 14 points and 12 rebounds in his second game since being traded to Cleveland from the Denver Nuggets. Forward LeBron James missed his eighth successive game due to knee and back issues. The Cavs are 1-7 in his absence. Trail Blazers 106, Lakers 94: Point guard Damian Lillard scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 106-94 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Blazers won their fourth in a row while the Lakers, who rested guard Kobe Bryant, lost for the third time in four games. — Agencies
