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Thabo Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks attacks the basket against Thaddeus Young and Zach LaVineKevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Al Horford isn't missing many shots these days for the Atlanta Hawks.

Not that it would matter much if he did. The Hawks just keep winning.

"We always push each other to play hard," Horford said. "That's why I feel like this group is a little different when it comes to that."

Paul Millsap scored 20 points and Horford added 19 to help Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta to a 112-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, extending the Hawks' franchise record with their 16th straight win.

Jeff Teague finished with 15 points and seven of Atlanta's 30 assists as the Hawks won for the 30th time in 32 games.

Thaddeus Young had 26 points and Mo Williams added 20 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves, who are last in the Western Conference, have lost four straight and 20 of 22.

The range of Horford, as a 6-foot-10 centre-forward, is hurting opponents all over the court. He's hitting long jumpers, occasional 3-pointers and scoring around the basket to cause matchup problems.

Horford missed just one of nine field-goal attempts and is shooting nearly 74 per cent and averaging 18 points over his last seven games.

"I have a good rhythm right now and I'm taking open shots," Horford said. "My teammates are setting me up. It's easy."

The Hawks took their first double-digit lead on Mike Scott's three-point play at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter, and their biggest advantage was 18 on a 3 by Millsap late in the second.

Minnesota trimmed the lead to eight several times in the second half before pulling within six twice on Andrew Wiggins' turnaround jumper and Young's putback in the closing minutes.

But DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver hit consecutive 3s to push lead back up to 12, and Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders called timeout with 2:08 remaining.

Saunders said everything he had heard and seen regarding the Hawks turned out be legitimate.

"Until you are there and you play against it, you don't really understand," Saunders said. "It took us almost a half to understand how good they really were. They're the best combination offensive and defensive team we've played. The second half we went out, we competed. That's all I can ask."

Young was pleased to get to play as a swingman, thus getting more freedom on offence, when Saunders used a bigger front line.

"It gives me an opportunity to see the floor, being on the wing," Young said. "You can see the guys cutting and see the whole floor so it's easier to make plays."

Korver and Carroll combined for 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Nikola Pekovic had 15 points and Wiggins added 12 for Minnesota.

Millsap went 8 for 12 from the field and finished with five rebounds, six assists, four steals and one turnover.

CAVALIERS 108, THUNDER 98

CLEVELAND – LeBron James scored 34 points, including the first eight in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder for their sixth straight win.

James made a pair of 3-pointers and a nasty fade-away jumper to give the Cavs a 91-80 lead. Later, the four-time MVP fed Kevin Love for a 3-pointer with 3:38 left that put the Thunder away. The Cavs are 6-1 since James returned after missing eight games with a strained back and knee.

Love added 19 points and 13 rebounds, Kyrie Irving scored 21, and Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 32 and Russell Westbrook had 22 for the Thunder, who went 3-2 on their longest road trip this season.

HEAT 96, BULLS 84

CHICAGO – Hassan Whiteside had an unconventional triple-double with a team-record and career-high 12 blocks to go with 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, Chris Bosh finished with 20 and Luol Deng scored 15 in his return to Chicago. Mario Chalmers had 15 points, and the Heat squashed whatever momentum the Bulls appeared to be building after beating San Antonio and Dallas.

Miami led by 10 at halftime, 12 going into the fourth quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.

Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, giving him 50 over the past three games. Derrick Rose scored 19 for Chicago, but missed all six 3-pointers.

PACERS 106, MAGIC 99

ORLANDO – David West had 20 points, reserve Damjan Rudez added a career-high 18, and the Indiana Pacers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win over the Orlando Magic.

The Pacers trailed by seven entering the fourth quarter, but got 16 points from Rudez in the final 12 minutes. They outscored the Magic 31-17 in the quarter.

George Hill had 17 points and six rebounds for Indiana in just his second game back from a left groin strain.

Nik Vucevic led four Magic players in double figures with 27 points. It was the ninth straight Orlando opponent to score at least 100 points.

CLIPPERS 120, SUNS 100

PHOENIX – Blake Griffin and Chris Paul scored 23 points each and the Los Angeles Clippers used a 15-0 fourth-quarter run to beat the Phoenix Suns.

J.J. Redick scored 20 and DeAndre Jordan added 18 for the Clippers, who are 3-0 against the Suns this season. Los Angeles has won nine of its past 11 against Phoenix.

Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and Eric Bledsoe added 17 for the Suns, who have lost two straight after winning seven in a row at home.

PELICANS 109, MAVERICKS 106

NEW ORLEANS – Anthony Davis capped a 28-point, 10-rebound outing with go-ahead free throws in the final seconds and a pivotal steal, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their third straight game.

Tyreke Evans scored 24 points, including a clutch running hook in the final half-minute, and Ryan Anderson added 18 points.

Monta Ellis scored 36 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 24 points for Dallas, which has lost two straight.

SPURS 101, BUCKS 95

SAN ANTONIO – Tim Duncan had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and 14 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs rallied in the second half to beat the Milwaukee Bucks.

Boris Diaw added 14 points, helping San Antonio win its fifth straight against Milwaukee.

Khris Middleton had 21 points and Jared Bayless had 15 points for the Bucks, who lost after defeating Detroit on Saturday.

WARRIORS 114, CELTICS 111

OAKLAND – Stephen Curry had 22 points and 11 assists, Klay Thompson scored 31 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics for their 19th consecutive home win.

Andrew Bogut added 13 points and 13 rebounds to help the Warriors stay unbeaten in 14 games against the Eastern Conference this season. Golden State also improved its NBA-best record to 36-6.

Two nights after scoring an NBA-record 37 points in the third quarter of Golden State's 126-101 win over Sacramento, Thompson was 11 for 19 from the field and 6 for 8 at the line.

Jared Sullinger had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who have lost four of six.

WIZARDS 117, NUGGETS 115, OT

DENVER – John Wall scored six of his 19 points in overtime and had 16 assists as the Washington Wizards beat the Denver Nuggets.

Kris Humphries had a season-high 21 points and 14 rebounds to help Washington stop a two-game skid.

Ty Lawson had 31 points and 12 assists in his return to the Nuggets' lineup. Lawson missed a tying jumper in the waning seconds of overtime. Lawson was back after missing Friday's game after being arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired early Friday morning. Lawson returned to practice Saturday.

ROCKETS 99, LAKERS 87

LOS ANGELES – James Harden had 37 points and eight rebounds, and the Houston Rockets rolled past the Lakers, sending Los Angeles to its eighth straight defeat.

Harden hit four 3-pointers, and the NBA's leading scorer added five assists in the Rockets' third victory in four games.

Josh Smith and Jason Terry had 11 points apiece as Houston cruised to its fourth straight road victory over the Lakers even without Dwight Howard, who sat out after injuring his right ankle two days ago.

Carlos Boozer scored 18 points for the Lakers, who are on their longest losing streak in nearly 10 years.

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