Indiana beat the Toronto Raptors 91-84 on Friday to improve to 6-0 and match the best start in franchise history, with Paul George scoring 17 of his 23 points in the third quarter.
Elsewhere, New York spoiled Patrick Ewing’s coaching debut by beating Charlotte, Anthony Davis led New Orleans to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston hung on to edge Orlando.
Indiana’s Roy Hibbert added a season-high 20 points and seven rebounds as the Pacers remained the NBA’s lone undefeated team.
Rudy Gay scored a season-high 30 points on 12-of-26 shooting for the Raptors, who lost their third straight to fall to 2-4. They shot 39.5 percent from the field, becoming the sixth consecutive opponent Indiana has held to 40 percent shooting or worse.
The Pacers improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1970-71, when the club played in the ABA, and have trailed at halftime in five of them.
New York’s Carmelo Anthony had 28 points and eight rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 101-91 win over Charlotte.
Andrea Bargnani added 25 points for New York, which shot 75 percent from the field in the third quarter – including six of seven 3-point attempts – to blow open a tight game and end a run of three straight losses.
Ewing, who spent 15 seasons with the Knicks as a star center, filled in as Charlotte’s head coach after Steve Clifford had a procedure earlier in the day to have two stents placed in his heart. Clifford checked himself into the hospital late Thursday with chest pain.
Kemba Walker scored 25 points for the Bobcats.
New Orleans’ Anthony Davis scored a career-high 32 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tied a career best with six blocks to lead the Pelicans to a 96-85 win over the Lakers.
Jrue Holiday added 13 points and 13 assists for New Orleans, which had lost its previous 11 regular-season games against the Lakers.
Chris Kaman led Los Angeles with 16 points.
Boston’s Brandon Bass had 16 points, including a pair of free-throws in the closing seconds which helped the Celtics hang on for a 91-89 win over Orlando.
Trailing by three, the Magic had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but Arron Afflalo’s jumper came from just a step inside the 3-point line.
Avery Bradley added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who have won nine straight against Orlando.
Afflalo’s 23 points led the Magic, which had won its previous three.
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant had 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to propel the Thunder to a 119-110 win over Detroit.
Rookie Steven Adams played a key role for Oklahoma City, dominating inside when Detroit’s post players were in foul trouble. Adams finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Smith finished with 25 points for Detroit before fouling out.
Minnesota’s Kevin Love had 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 116-108 win over Dallas.
Kevin Martin added 32 points and five rebounds for the Timberwolves.
Jose Calderon made 6 of 8 3-pointers and scored 21 points for the Mavericks.
Phoenix’s twins Markieff and Marcus Morris made the big shots that helped the Suns rally from an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter and earn a 114-103 victory over Denver.
San Antonio’s Tony Parker scored 18 points, including his team’s last seven, to guide the Spurs to a 76-74 win against Golden State.
Philadelphia’s Evan Turner scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the 76ers cruised past Cleveland 94-79.
Washington’s Nene scored 12 of his 20 points in the final 41/2 minutes of the fourth quarter, including a putback with 1.2 seconds to play that sent the game to overtime, and the Wizards went on to beat Brooklyn 112-108.
Chicago’s Luol Deng scored 19 points in the Bulls’ 97-73 win over Utah.
Portland’s Damian Lillard had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Trail Blazers downed Sacramento 104-91, handing the Kings their fourth straight loss.
