CLEVELAND -- Darius Garland scored 32 points shortly after being left off the All-Star team and carried Cleveland following Donovan Mitchell's ejection, leading the Cavaliers to a 128-113 victory over the slumping Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.
Garland was one of several players having All-Star-caliber seasons not named an Eastern Conference reserve by the coaches. He added 11 assists as the Cavs bounced back from a tough loss to Miami on Tuesday night.
Mitchell, voted an All-Star starter last week, was tossed in the third quarter for throwing the ball at Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks after the pair tangled under the basket. Brooks also was thrown out.
With the Cavs leading 81-76, Brooks missed a shot and fell in the lane. While on the floor, he flung his arm back and struck Mitchell, who was standing over him, in the groin area. Mitchell dropped in pain and retaliated by firing the ball at Brooks and then charging and shoving him along the baseline in front of the Memphis bench.
As the altercation threatened to spill into the seats, officials and players were able to get things under control before any punches were thrown.
Mitchell, who was having a tough night with just six points on 2-of-11 shooting, received a loud ovation from the sellout Cleveland crowd as he made his way to the locker room following his dismissal.
The Mitchell-Brooks tussle seemed to motivate the young Cavs. They built a 12-point lead after three quarters, pushed it to 21 in the fourth and handed Memphis its seventh loss in eight games.
The Grizzlies, who have a reputation as the NBA's most talkative team, lost their sixth straight road game.
Cedi Osman scored 21 points and Jarrett Allen added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland. Evan Mobley had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Desmond Bane scored 25 points and All-Star Ja Morant had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Grizzlies despite being in foul trouble most of the night.
Memphis played without All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who sustained a thigh bruise in Tuesday night in a loss to Portland. Jackson averages 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds.
There were 10 lead changes in the first six minutes of the second quarter before the Cavs began to take control.
Cleveland went on a 13-2 spurt -- and Morant went to the bench after picking up his third foul --- and the Cavs outscored the Grizzlies 22-7 over the final 5:25 to take a 67-54 halftime lead.
Knicks 106, Heat 104
NEW YORK -- RJ Barrett rebounded from a late-game benching with 30 points, Isaiah Hartenstein made big plays on both ends of the floor in the final minute and the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 106-104 on Thursday night.
New York pulled out the victory after Erik Spoelstra correctly challenged a call that turned a Heat foul into a Knicks turnover. But Tyler Herro's potential winning 3-point attempt bounced off the rim.
Julius Randle added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who pulled within a game of Miami for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, the final guaranteed playoff spot. Quentin Grimes scored 17 points, though his biggest play was a pass.
The Knicks' lead was down to one when he dribbled into the middle and fired a pass underneath to Hartenstein for a dunk with 33 seconds left. After Herro's tying 3-point attempt rimmed out, the Heat got a steal and got another chance to tie, but Hartenstein knocked away a pass and the Knicks got it to Randle all alone for a dunk and a 106-101 lead.
Max Strus made a 3-pointer to cut it two, setting the Heat up for another chance before Herro's miss from the corner.
Bam Adebayo finished with 32 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, while Herro scored 25 points and Strus had 17.
The Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without point guard Jalen Brunson, who was scratched with an illness unrelated to COVID-19.
Barrett played about five minutes to start the fourth quarter Tuesday, then never got back in the rest of regulation or overtime in the Knicks' 129-123 loss to the Lakers. Barrett didn't give coach Tom Thibodeau a chance to consider taking him out late this time, with some strong drives to the basket for timely baskets in the fourth.
The Knicks started the third quarter with an 11-0 run, extending a three-point lead to 62-48 as the Heat missed their first seven shots. Then Adebayo made a jumper to start a 21-4 response, which included Kyle Lowry making a go-ahead 3-pointer after missing his first seven shots, as Miami rallied for a 69-66 edge.
New York swung momentum right back its way with another 11-0 burst and led 77-72 after three.
Lakers 112, Pacers 111
INDIANAPOLIS -- LeBron James had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and pulled within 63 points of becoming the NBA's career scoring champ as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 112-111 on Thursday night.
James gave Los Angeles its first lead on a 3-pointer with 2:35 left in the game, and Anthony Davis' 11-footer with 35.1 seconds left was the decisive basket. Davis finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds.
Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 24 points, newly minted All-Star Tyrese Haliburton added 26 points and 12 assists in his first game in three weeks and Myles Turner had 20 points and 13 rebounds after signing a two-year contract extension Monday. But when Buddy Hield's 17-foot jumper clanked off the rim in the closing seconds, Indiana lost its fourth in a row.
One of Indiana's largest crowds of the season cheered James' warmly throughout the fourth quarter, roaring loudly each time he scored as Indiana again found itself at the forefront of a league-changing pursuit.
It was here in May 2021 that Russell Westbrook recorded his 181st career triple-double to tie Oscar Robertson's career mark. And it was here in December 2021 that Stephen Curry made five 3-pointers to pull within one of matching Ray Allen's career mark of 2,973.
On Thursday, James became the second player in league history to top the 38,300-point mark and left town with 38,325. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hold the NBA's scoring record with 38,387 points.
For most of the night, it looked as if Indiana would pull away, thanks to its speed. The Pacers led by double digits most of the first three quarters and led 98-84 early in the fourth.
But the Lakers took advantage of Indiana's late fouls and the heroics of James and Davis down the stretch to come all the way back.
Bulls 114, Hornets 98
CHICAGO -- Ayo Dosunmu matched a season high with 22 points, Coby White scored 20 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame shaky outings by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-98 on Thursday night.
Dosunmu made 9 of 10 shots, and White hit three 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulls used a big third quarter to turn a four-point halftime lead into an 85-70 advantage heading to the fourth.
They stayed in control the rest of the way and got some payback for a loss one week earlier in Charlotte even with DeRozan and LaVine not performing to their usual standards.
DeRozan finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, after getting his sixth All-Star selection and second in as many seasons with the Bulls. LaVine scored 10 pointgs. But even with its two best players not performing to their usual standards, Chicago made enough plays to beat the team with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Terry Rozier scored 23 ppoints for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball, coming off a triple-double Tuesday night in a loss at Milwaukee, added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists before getting ejected with 1:21 remaining. He was furious about a non-call after LaVine blocked his layup and picked up two separate technical fouls. Mason Plumlee had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulls scored the first 10 points of the second half to bump a four-point lead to 63-49.
Dosunmu started the run and finished it with layups, and Vucevic and Patrick Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) rebounds against Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, shoots against Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (7) shoots ahead of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen blocks a shot by Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)