Knicks 104, Mavericks 94
Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and the host New York Knicks improved their best start in nearly two decades to 4-0 with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Reserve JR Smith added 22 points for the Knicks, the only unbeaten team in the NBA. They hadn’t been perfect after four games since the 1993-94 team started 7-0 en route to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks averaged 104.7 points and allowed just 85.3 per game while routing Miami and sweeping a home-and-home series from Philadelphia to start the season, but didn’t seize control of this one for good until nearly the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
O.J. Mayo scored 23 points for the Mavericks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped and lost to the Knicks for just the fourth time in the last 22 meetings.
The Mavericks managed only two more field goals after Mayo’s layup cut the Knicks’ lead to 90-86 with 7:32 remaining. New York scored the next eight points, five from Anthony, to pull away.
76ers 106, Celtics 100
Evan Turner scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 21 and the Philadelphia 76ers held off several fourth-quarter rallies to beat the host Boston Celtics. The Celtics cut the lead to four twice in the final period, 83-79 and 102-98, but couldn’t get any closer and fell to 2-3. Paul Pierce scored 24 for Boston, and Kevin Garnett finished with 19.
Heat 95, Hawks 89
LeBron James scored 21 points, including the clinching jumper with 13.6 seconds remaining, and Miami knocked off the host Atlanta Hawks for the Heat’s fourth win in a row. Jeff Teague hit consecutive 3-pointers as the Hawks rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. But Josh Smith, on an awful night, missed two free throws with just over a minute remaining, and James finished off Atlanta after the teams traded turnovers.
Bucks 101, Wizards 91
Even a 12-point head start against the Milwaukee Bucks was not nearly enough for the winless host Washington Wizards. Monta Ellis scored 22 points, and the Bucks quickly erased an early deficit before pulling away with a 13-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to beat the Wizards. Washington fell to 0-4 despite 22 points from Bradley Beal.
Timberwolves 96, Pacers
Chase Budinger converted a layup on a feed from Andrei Kirilenko with 0.8 seconds to go, lifting the host Minnesota Timberwolves. Budinger scored 18 points while subbing for the injured Brandon Roy. Alexey Shved had 11 points and seven assists and Nikola Pekovic added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves. Roy left the game at halftime with a sore right knee.
Hornets 107, Bobcats 99
Anthony Davis had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in his first game back after a concussion, and the host New Orleans Hornets handed the Charlotte Bobcats their third loss in a row. Ryan Anderson hit five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for New Orleans.
Thunder 105, Pistons 94
Serge Ibaka scored a career-high 25 points, Kevin Durant chipped in a season-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the host Oklahoma City Thunder broke in their new alternate jerseys by beating the winless Detroit Pistons. The Thunder scored nine consecutive points soon after Durant checked back into the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Nets 107, Magic 68
Andray Blatche had 15 points, Brook Lopez added 14 points and 10 rebounds and the Brooklyn Nets beat the host Orlando Magic. Brooklyn never trailed while snapping a 10-game losing streak to Orlando that dated to 2009. E’Twaun Moore led the Magic with 18 points.
Grizzlies 108, Bucks 90
Zach Randolph had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies shot 53 percent from the floor in a win over host Milwaukee. Rudy Gay added 17 points and Marreese Speights contributed 16 off the bench to help Memphis win its third in a row after a season-opening loss.
