Mavericks 99, Spurs 93
The new-look Dallas Mavericks had to sweat out the debut of guard Rajon Rondo as they fended off an injury-ravaged San Antonio Spurs.
Guard Monta Ellis scored a season-high-tying 38 points for Dallas, while point guard Rondo chimed in with six points, nine assists, seven rebounds following his trade from Boston on Thursday. He also drew four offensive fouls.
Only eight players logged minutes for the Spurs, who were missing stars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
Hawks 104, Rockets 97
The Atlanta Hawks blew a 16-point lead but steadied with a 7-0 stretch run to beat the Houston Rockets.
Kyle Korver finished with a game-high 20 points, including a dagger three-pointer in the middle of Atlanta’s late-game run that ended Houston’s 19-game home winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents.
Trail Blazers 114, Pelicans 88
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to power the Portland Trail Blazers to an emphatic victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Trail Blazers showed no signs of weariness a night after a triple-overtime game against San Antonio as they opened a 34-point lead in the third quarter and coasted to their fifth consecutive victory.
Clippers 106, Bucks 102
Guard Chris Paul scored 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame another poor bench performance to hold off the Milwaukee Bucks.
Nuggets 76, Pacers 73
Forward Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers in an ugly offensive game in which both teams scored a season-low in points and shot below 40 percent.
Suns 99, Knicks 90
Eric Bledsoe poured in 25 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a road win over the New York Knicks.
Guard Carmelo Anthony, slowed by a sore left knee, scored 25 points for the Knicks, who have lost 14 of their past 15 games.
Hornets 104, Jazz 86
Guard Kemba Walker scored 20 points, and centre Al Jefferson had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets ended a 10-game losing streak to the Utah Jazz.
