Paul George made three free throws to tie it with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, then scored 9 of his season-high 35 points in overtime as the Indiana Pacers pulled out a 103-96 victory Wednesday night over the New York Knicks, who dropped their sixth straight at home.
New York scored the first 13 points, but this settled into a playoff-type game between teams who met in the postseason last May.
And it again went to the Pacers, who bounced back from their first loss after a franchise-record 9-0 start.
George Hill added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who beat the Knicks in six games in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Just as in the clincher of that series, Roy Hibbert had a pivotal block on Carmelo Anthony’s drive to the basket.
Anthony had 30 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who looked completely deflated after they couldn’t score following George’s free throws.
Clippers 102, Timberwolves 98 — Blake Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds while dominating his matchup with Kevin Love, and Chris Paul scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead Los Angeles over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Paul scored 12 straight points for the Clippers in the final 3:41 to hold off a late charge from the Wolves.
Love managed just 10 points on 2-for-14 shooting to go with 12 rebounds for the Wolves, who have lost two straight to start a tough stretch of five games in seven nights.
Trail Blazers 91, Bucks 82 — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points, Damian Lillard added 19, and visiting Portland topped Milwaukee for its eighth straight win.
Wesley Matthews had 15 points, all in the first half, to help Portland complete a sweep of a four-game Eastern Conference road trip.
The Trail Blazers have won 10 of 12 to start the season.
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Bobcats 95, Nets 91 — Kemba Walker scored a season-high 31 points and host Charlotte handed turnover-prone Brooklyn its sixth loss in seven games.
Walker was 12 of 20 from the field and knocked down four 3-pointers as the Bobcats (6-6) snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Nets.
This season, the Bobcats are finding success despite playing nine games without center Al Jefferson, who has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury.
Heat 120, Magic 92 — LeBron James scored 21 points and handed out seven assists, Chris Bosh scored 18 points, and visiting Miami routed Orlando for a fifth straight victory. Dwyane Wade sat out once again to give his knees more rest.
Hawks 93, Pistons 85 — Paul Millsap, signed in the offseason to replace Josh Smith, had 19 points to steal the spotlight in Smith’s return to Atlanta, leading the Hawks to a win over Detroit.
Smith, who signed with Detroit after nine seasons with the Hawks, had 11 points, shooting 5 of 15 from the field.
Wizards 98, Cavaliers 91 — Bradley Beal scored 26 points and Nene added 24, leading visiting Washington over Cleveland.
Raptors 108, 76ers 98 — DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and Rudy Gay had 18 to help Toronto beat host Philadelphia.
Pelicans 105, Jazz 98 — Anthony Davis had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 blocks, and host New Orleans won its second straight, cruising over struggling Utah.
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Kings 113, Suns 106 — DeMarcus Cousins overcame a sore shoulder to score 19 points and grab 12 rebounds, leading Sacramento past Phoenix for the Kings’ first road win of the season.
Mavericks 123, Rockets 120 — Monta Ellis had a season-high 37 points and assisted on the go-ahead basket to spoil Dwight Howard’s best offensive night (33 points) for Houston as host Dallas rallied for the victory.
Grizzlies 88, Warriors 81 — Zach Randolph scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead visiting Memphis over Golden State in overtime.