Jazz shoot down Cavaliers

NEW YORK — Taking over games is quickly becoming Rodney Hood’s personal trademark. Hood lights a fire under the Utah Jazz offense every time he shoots these days. That was certainly the case in a 94-85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night. The second-year guard rattled off 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting — which included four 3-pointers. Hood provided a huge lift for Utah in the absence of leading scorer Gordon Hayward, who missed the game due to plantar fasciitis. “My teammates were telling me to be aggressive,” Hood said. “I got going early, and stuff started to open up.” Shelvin Mack added 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, while Derrick Favors chipped in with 19 points and Trey Lyles added 12 points for the Jazz (32-35). Utah shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from the perimeter to help secure its third consecutive victory and keep pace with Dallas and Houston in the battle for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Mavericks and Rockets, both 34-33, are each two games ahead of the Jazz. LeBron James scored 23 points and collected 12 rebounds, notching his 23rd double-double of the season to lead Cleveland. Kyrie Irving chipped in with 15 points and Kevin Love added 12 point. Cleveland (47-19) had won three straight and six of seven before falling to the Jazz. The Cavaliers were doomed by poor perimeter shooting, connecting on just 23.8 percent of their 3-pointers, 10 of 42. “We had our chance,” James said. “We definitely settled for the outside shot too much tonight and didn’t get into the paint. They did a great job of capitalizing on our mistakes.” Mavericks 107, Hornets 96: Chandler Parsons scored 24 points, hitting three clutch 3-pointers down the stretch, and two streaks came to an end as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Charlotte Hornets 107-96. Heat 124, Nuggets 119: Rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson combined to score 37 points as the Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets 124-119 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Bulls 109, Raptors 107: Doug McDermott scored 29 points, and the Chicago Bulls led from the early stages of the first quarter on the way to a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Thunder 128, Trail Blazers 94: Enes Kanter scored 26 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 128-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Rockets 130, Grizzlies 81: Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley sparked an early 3-point barrage and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 130-81 victory over the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center. Wizards 124, Pistons 81: Nene scored a season-high 20 points, John Wall had 15 points and 12 assists, and the Washington Wizards snapped a five-game losing streak with a 124-81 win over the Detroit Pistons. Suns 107, Timberwolves 104: Mirza Teletovic hit five 3-pointers including the game-winner with 1.2 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-104. Warriors 125, Pelicans 107: Center Andrew Bogut ignited a third-quarter runaway with a 3-pointer at one end and a blocked shot at the other, sending the Golden State Warriors on the way to their 60th win of the season, a 125-107 thumping of the New Orleans Pelicans. — Agencies