Associated Press
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Luol Deng scored 23 points, Derrick Rose added 20 points and the Chicago Bulls knocked off the NBA’s last unbeaten team with a 110-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
Taj Gibson had 15 points and eight rebounds for Chicago (5-3), which won its fourth straight game behind 11-of-19 shooting from 3-point range.
Indiana (9-1) was the NBA’s first 9-0 team since the 2002-‘03 Dallas Mavericks, who started 14-0. The nine wins to start a season matched a franchise record.
Nursing a sore right hamstring, Rose was effective in his 30 minutes on the court. He weaved around and penetrated the league’s best defense, which hadn’t allowed more than 91 points to any opponent this year.
Rose was injured Monday against Cleveland, and did not play in Chicago’s 96-80 win Friday at Toronto.
The 25-year-old former MVP shook off the rust after a pair of early off-balance misses. He sank a floater in the lane three minutes in, followed by a 3-pointer 30 seconds later to ignite a 12-2 first-quarter run for Chicago.
Rose cozied up at the 3-point arc in the second quarter, knocking down all three attempts as the Bulls took a 25-point advantage into the half. He finished 6 for 11 from beyond the arc.
Kirk Hinrich came off the bench to contribute 13 points, eight assists and four rebounds for the Bulls.
The Pacers lost despite having all five starters — and two reserves — score in double-digits.
Roy Hibbert led Indiana with 14 points a day after posting season-highs with 24 points and eight blocks.
Chicago held Paul George to 12 points. He entered the game seventh in the NBA with 24.6 points per game. George and Lance Stephenson combined to miss all seven of their 3-point attempts, and the team made just 25 percent.
The Pacers were coming off their most lopsided win of the season, a 104-77 drubbing of Milwaukee.
HEAT 97, BOBCATS 81
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LeBron James scored 30 points to help Miami beat Charlotte for the 13th straight time.
With Mario Chalmers suspended, Chris Bosh limited due to foul trouble, Ray Allen out with the flu and Dwyane Wade a non-factor, James came up big for the Heat. The four-time MVP was 13 of 18 from the field and had seven assists in his eighth 20-point game this season.
Michael Beasley added 15 points for the Heat, winners of six of their last seven overall.
Kemba Walker had 22 points to lead the Bobcats, who shot 35 percent from the field. Jeffery Taylor scored 14 points and has now finished in double digits in six of his last seven games.
ROCKETS 122, NUGGETS 111
HOUSTON — Dwight Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2½-minute stretch, to lead Houston past Denver.
Chandler Parsons added 20 points and James Harden had 17 for the Rockets, who never trailed and led by as many as 23.
The Nuggets tried to get back in it with about 5½ minutes left by using the “Hack-a-Howard” defense, intentionally fouling the center every time Houston had the ball. The plan backfired and Howard, who entered the game shooting 49 percent from the line, finished 17 of 24 on free throws.
Ty Lawson had 28 points and a career-high 17 assists to lead Denver.
MAVS 108, MAGIC 100
ORLANDO, Fla. — Monta Ellis had 19 points and eight assists to help Dallas win at Orlando for the eighth straight time.
Dirk Nowitzki and DeJuan Blair added 18 apiece for the Mavericks.
Arron Afflalo led the Magic with 25 points and four assists. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and eight rebounds and Jameer Nelson added 15.
Orlando trimmed a 15-point first-half deficit to 91-87 after Vucevic’s layup with 6:58 left in the game.
The Magic had chances to get closer, but Vucevic missed another layup attempt, rookie guard Victor Oladipo committed back-to-back turnovers and Afflalo missed a jumper.
Shawn Marion ended Dallas’ drought with a 3-pointer from the corner, the Mavs first points in nearly four minutes. A 3 from Nowitzki stretched the lead to 100-91 with 3:10 left and the Magic never got closer.
HAWKS 110, KNICKS 90
NEW YORK — Jeff Teague scored 16 points to lead eight players in double figures, and Atlanta sent New York to a fifth straight home loss.
Paul Millsap, back in the starting lineup, had 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks shot 56 percent and won for the fourth time in five games. They avenged the loss during that span, a 95-91 Knicks victory in Atlanta on Wednesday.
This was at Madison Square Garden, where New York hasn’t won since beating Milwaukee on Oct. 30 in its season opener, and where the fans are getting restless.
Carmelo Anthony had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New York. Andrea Bargnani added 16 points and nine boards.
CAVALIERS 103, WIZARDS 96
WASHINGTON — Kyrie Irving scored nine of his 41 points in overtime to help Cleveland snap a three-game skid.
Irving scored seven straight points on three possessions in overtime to give the Cavaliers the lead for good. He later added an 18-foot jumper to match his career high and finish 14 of 28 from the floor and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.
Earl Clark hit three key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for Cleveland, finishing with 11 points. Tristan Thompson added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and center Andrew Bynum made his second start in as many years, contributing six points and three rebounds.
John Beal scored 28 points for Washington, Nene added 24 points and seven rebounds, and John Wall had nine points and 12 assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 106
CELTICS 88
MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Love had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and 12 boards to lead Minnesota.
Kevin Martin scored 20 on 6-for-18 shooting and Dante Cunningham scored 12 off the bench to help the Timberwolves rebound from a tough loss in Denver the previous night.
Avery Bradley scored 27 points and Vitor Faverani had nine points and 14 rebounds for Boston. But Jeff Green went 0 for 6 from the floor and the Celtics’ 22 turnovers led to 28 points for the Timberwolves.
The Celtics have lost three in a row following a four-game winning streak.
PELICANS 135, 76ERS 98
NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks in less than three quarters, helping New Orleans emphatically snap a three-game skid.
Ryan Anderson scored 26 points— hitting six 3-pointers — in his return from a broken toe that sidelined him for New Orleans’ first nine games. He scored 14 points in his first 14 minutes, helping the Pelicans build a 30-point lead in the first half.
New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday had 14 points and 12 assists against the team that traded him for injured rookie big man Nerlens Noel during the first round of last summer’s draft.
Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 19 points, but Philadelphia offered little resistance, allowing New Orleans to shoot 62 percent through three quarters, when the Pelicans led 103-66.
THUNDER 92, BUCKS 79
MILWAUKEE — Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and Kevin Durant added 24 as Oklahoma City snapped a two-game skid.
The Thunder were coming off back-to-back road losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. Serge Ibaka had 15 points and equaled a career high with 20 rebounds.
O.J. Mayo scored 22 points for the Bucks, losers of five straight who continue to play short-handed because of injuries.
Oklahoma City took control with an 11-4 run to end the third quarter — playing with reserves for much of that stretch — and led 72-65 going into the fourth.
Milwaukee was held scoreless for more than 4 minutes to start the fourth, but went on a quick 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 77-73 on a 3-pointer by Mayo with 6:10 remaining. But Westbrook hit a jumper, Ibaka swatted away a putback attempt by the Bucks’ Ekpe Udoh, and Ibka hit a shot on the other end to give the Thunder an 81-73 lead with 4:28 left.