INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 20 Wednesday night, and the Indiana Pacers defeated the shorthanded NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, 103-93.
Cleveland played without LeBron James (23.4 points), who was resting, and J.R. Smith (10.5), who has a right ankle sprain.
The Cavaliers got 27 points from Kevin Love and 24 from Kyrie Irving, but they lacked a third option to keep pace with the Pacers, who placed five in double figures.
Knicks 102, Pistons 102
NEW YORK — Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 35 points as New York held on to beat Detroit.
Porzingis had his eighth career game with at least 25 points. He shot 13 of 22 from the floor, tying a career high for field goals made.
Carmelo Anthony added 22 for the Knicks, who have won three of their last five games. Joakim Noah bounced back from not playing the second half Monday with an active performance of 15 rebounds while Derrick Rose contributed 16 points.
Magic 89, Pelicans 82
ORLANDO, Fla. — Serge Ibaka and Evan Fournier each scored 16 points to lead Orlando over New Orleans.
The Pelicans struggled to find any rhythm without leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Davis, who missed the game with a strained quad muscle.
Terrence Jones, who started in place of Davis, led the Pelicans with 26 points. Langston Galloway had 15 points and guard E’Twaun Moore scored 14.
76ers 109, Wizards 102
PHILADELPHIA – Jahlil Okafor scored a season-high 19 points and reserve Richaun Holmes made a critical 3-pointer in the closing minutes as Philadelphia beat Washington.
The Sixers rested rookie center Joel Embiid, their leading scorer and rebounder, who missed the last two seasons following a pair of foot surgeries. Philadelphia still shot 54.5 percent from the floor and recorded 30 assists, both season highs.
Ersan Ilyasova, making his first start in eight games with the Sixers, added 16 points. Nik Stauskas contributed 15, and Dario Saric had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Celtics 90, Mavericks 83
BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas, taking advantage of injuries to Dallas backcourt, put on a one-man show down the stretch to spark Boston to the win.
With Deron Williams, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris out with injuries by game’s end, Thomas, who had been quiet most of the night, exploded for 20 points and a dynamic assist in the final 6:01.
Thomas, who hasn’t scored fewer than 23 points in a game this season, was 3-for-13 from the floor through three quarters and then erupted, finishing with 30 points (22 in the fourth quarter), six assists and four rebounds.
Hawks 107, Bucks 100
ATLANTA – Atlanta was without Dwight Howard, as well as veteran reserve Thabo Sefolosha, and it didn’t matter.
The Atlanta second unit sparked a 19-0 run over the first six minutes of the second quarter and the Hawks, up by 24 points shortly after halftime, held on to run their winning streak to six games.
Paul Millsap scored 21, including the clinching basket with 22.8 seconds left, to lead six Hawks double-figure scorers and also had eight rebounds.