In contrast, there was further misery for the Knicks and Nets.
It was an action packed night from the NBA on Saturday, with no less than 11 games on the schedule with numerous talking points to take away from it.
However, the biggest story of the night came from the United Center where the Chicago Bulls ended the Indiana Pacers’ unbeaten start to the season.
The visitors arrived having sealed nine consecutive wins, but after a dominate first-half display from the Bulls inside, coupled with their excellent three-point shooting, they eventually secured a comfortable 110-94 win.
Derrick Rose returned from his hamstring injury to add 20 points after going 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, while Luol Deng had a game-high 23 points.
Chicago outscored their rivals 46-34 inside the paint, and despite turning the ball over four more times than the Pacers, Tom Thibodeau will have been delighted with their defensive effort to restrict the likes of Paul George and Lance Stephenson.
Victory moves the Bulls to 5-3 for the season, and they now trail the Pacers and the Miami Heat at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Elsewhere, the Heat sealed a 97-81 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, their 13th straight win over their opponents, with LeBron James dropping 30 points on the road after his impressive display last time out.
While things are looking increasingly better for Miami and Chicago, the same can’t be said for the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
Carmelo Anthony didn’t hold back in his assessment of the loss to the Atlanta Hawks, claiming that it was as if his team weren’t even trying as they slipped to yet another loss at the Garden.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn also slipped to 3-6 for the season after their defeat in the late game in Los Angeles against the Clippers.
Both franchises had harboured hopes of being championship contenders this season, but their early struggles have somewhat tempered expectations with the pressure growing on the respective coaches to turn things around.
In the Western Conference, there were notable wins for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, while the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from their heartbreak in San Francisco with a 92-79 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Golden State Warriors continued their impressive start to the season with a win over the Utah Jazz, with Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala staring, although there was a setback as Jermaine O’Neal suffered a groin injury.
NBA Results:
Miami Heat 97-81 Charlotte Bobcats
Dallas Mavericks 108-100 Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 Washington Wizards
Atlanta Hawks 110-90 New York Knicks
Indiana Pacers 94-110 Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets 111-122 Houston Rockets
Boston Celtics 88-106 Minnesota Timberwolves
Philadelphia 76ers 98-135 New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder 92-79 Milwaukee Bucks
Utah Jazz 88-102 Golden State Warriors
Brooklyn Nets 103-110 Los Angeles Clippers
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