Indiana now 6-0 to start the new season.
It was a busy night in the NBA on Friday, with no less than 12 games taking place which produced some notable wins and stand-out performances.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers extended their unbeaten start to the season with a 91-84 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Having been billed as a genuine candidate for the MVP trophy by team-mate Roy Hibbert earlier this week, Paul George had a team-high 23 points as well as 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while Rudy Gay’s 30-point haul wasn’t enough to help the Raptors cause an upset.
Meanwhile, there were encouraging wins for both the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls after early pressure was put on the teams due to their disappointing starts to the campaign.
Both teams went into Friday night’s games with a 1-3 record, but added another number to the win column with triumphs over the Charlotte Bobcats and Utah Jazz respectively.
After questioning the effort of his team this week, Carmelo Anthony led by example to exact revenge over the Bobcats after their win at MSG on Wednesday night as the forward had a game-high 28 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
It was a similar situation in Chicago as coach Tom Thibodeau got the reaction he was seeking from his players as they executed well defensively to seal a 97-73 win over the Jazz.
Luol Deng was most impressive as he led the way in all numbers for the hosts, ending the night with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose had 12 points, but continues to struggle with turnovers and his shooting percentages.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics inflicted the first home defeat of the season on the Orlando Magic, while the Washington Wizards outlasted the Brooklyn Nets in overtime to seal a 112-108 win.
Over in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs held off the Golden State Warriors to secure a 76-74 win in a surprisingly low-scoring affair.
With Stephen Curry sidelined with an ankle injury, Toney Douglas led the way with 21 points, but a team effort led by Tony Parker with 18 points ensured Gregg Popovich’s men got the win.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant went for a game-high 37 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 119-110 win over the Detroit Pistons, and Kevin Love’s impressive start goes on with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Other notable individual performances came from Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and DeMarcus Cousins after another thrilling night in the NBA.
NBA Results:
New York Knicks 101-91 Charlotte Bobcats
Toronto Raptors 84-91 Indiana Pacers
Boston Celtics 91-89 Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavaliers 79-94 Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets 108-112 Washington Wizards
Oklahoma City Thunder 119-110 Detroit Pistons
Utah Jazz 73-97 Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks 108-116 Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Lakers 85-96 New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors 74-76 San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets 103-114 Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings 91-104 Portland Trail Blazers
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