Jimmy Butler scored 52 points and outdueled Kemba Walker, carrying the Bulls to a 118-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in Chicago on Monday night. Walker boosted his All-Star candidacy with 34 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. Eric Gordon scored 31 points and James Harden had 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Houston at home. Harden's ninth triple-double of the season was a rocky encore to his brilliant New Year's Eve performance in which he had 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds against the Knicks and became the first player in NBA history with a 50-15-15 game. Jamal Crawford added 18 points and DeAndre Jordan had 20 rebounds for the Clippers, who remain without Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Griffin has missed nine games while recovering from right knee surgery. Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game because of tightness in his right hamstring. After Buddy Hield hit two free throws to pull the Pelicans to 84-82 with 2:56 remaining, James scored six straight points and blocked a shot over a 1:47 stretch to seal the Cavaliers' eighth win in nine games. Gordon Hayward scored 30 points, Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and...