Trail Blazers, Raptors roll on in NBA

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Wesley Matthews starred as the Trail Blazers beat the Charlotte Hornets 105-97 for a ninth consecutive victory.

Matthews was 10 of 15 from the field, posting a game-high 28 points as the Trail Blazers (12-3) outscored the Hornets 60-41 in the second half at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

Damian Lillard contributed 22 points for the Western Conference Northwest division leaders.

Robin Lopez (15 points, 10 rebounds), Chris Kaman (12 points) and Nicolas Batum (10 points) also scored double-digit points.

The Hornets led 56-45 at half-time but crashed to their seventh straight defeat.

Brian Roberts (24 points) and Al Jefferson (21 points, 14 rebounds) combined for 25 points in Charlotte.

The in-form Raptor are in the midst of a six-game winning run after edging the Atlanta Hawks 126-115.

Toronto (13-2) had three players with 20 or more points as the Eastern Conference pacesetters - who have won 11 of 12 games - matched their best run of results in franchise history, which was set back in 2002.

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 27 points, while Louis Williams (22 points) and Greivis Vasquez (21 points) made solid contributions.

Jeff Teague and Al Horford were the leading point-getters for the Hawks (7-6).

In other results, the Philadelphia 76ers remain winless after 15 games in 2014-15, losing 99-91 to the Brooklyn Nets.

LeBron James was at his brilliant best - scoring 29 points and 10 rebounds - as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled the Washington Wizards 113-87.

The Golden State Warriors accounted for the Orlando Magic 111-96, while Tyson Chandler had the last laugh against his former team after the Dallas Mavericks trumped the New York Knicks 109-102 in overtime.

James Harden sunk 26 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 102-89 win over the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Clippers downed the Detroit Pistons 104-98 and the Indiana Pacers were beaten 106-100 by defending champions the San Antonio Spurs.

The Phoenix Suns prevailed 120-112 against the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder ended a six-game skid with a 97-82 win over the Utah Jazz, the Milwaukee Bucks were too strong for the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-86 and the Memphis Grizzlies held on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-93.

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