Julius Randle missed a game-tying free-throw attempt with one-tenth of a second remaining, and Indiana handed host New York its ninth straight loss in the debut of Knicks’ interim coach Mike Miller.
A day after David Fizdale was fired, the Knicks had numerous chances to get their first win, but they went cold down the stretch, missing 13 of their final 14 shots. The Pacers went scoreless for the final 5:17 and missed their final seven shots.
The Knicks’ last miss was when Myles Turner blocked Mitchell Robinson at the rim with two seconds left. Randle grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Aaron Holiday. Randle made the first free throw, but his second free-throw attempt was long, and the game ended with New York dropping to 4-19.
T.J. Warren scored 25 points for the Pacers, who won for the eighth time in 10 games. Domantas Sabonis collected 19 points and 15 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double. Marcus Morris scored 25 points for the Knicks. Randle contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Houston Rockets 115 – Phoenix Suns 109
James Harden single-handedly outscored Phoenix 17-10 over a key stretch of the fourth quarter, sending host Houston to its 12th straight win over its Western Conference rival.
Harden lost his personal duel with Devin Booker, one that featured a technical foul on each, 35-34 but came through down the stretch for the Rockets, who rallied from an early 11-point deficit and later blew a pair of 13-point leads before outlasting the guests.
Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the Rockets, while Clint Capela added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ricky Rubio (10 points, game-high 13 assists) and Dario Saric (13 points, 12 rebounds) registered double-doubles for the Suns.
Dallas Mavericks 130 – New Orleans Pelicans 84
Luka Doncic scored 26 points as Dallas stayed hot while New Orleans remained cold in the Mavericks’ 130-84 victory.
Boban Marjanovic added 15 points and 16 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson scored 14 points each, Kristaps Porzingis had 13 and Seth Curry 11 as Dallas won for the 10th time in 11 games and New Orleans lost its eighth consecutive game.
Doncic had nine assists and six rebounds and played just 26 minutes in the lopsided game. JJ Redick led the reeling Pelicans with 15 points, Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram scored 14 each and rookie Jaxson Hayes had 11.
Philadelphia 76ers 141 – Cleveland Cavaliers 94
Ben Simmons scored 26 of his career-high 34 points in the first half as Philadelphia remained undefeated at home in 11 games by trouncing Cleveland, which lost for the sixth straight time and the 12th in 13 games.
Simmons made 12 of 14 shots from the floor, and Trey Burke and Mike Scott each chipped in 21 points for the 76ers, who beat the Cavaliers for the third time this season. Scott scored 16 of his points in the first half while playing in place of All-Star center Joel Embiid, who reported discomfort in his hip following Philadelphia’s 119-13 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
Darius Garland finished with a team-high 17 points, Tristan Thompson added 12, and Kevin Love returned from a one-game absence due to illness to finish with six points for Cleveland.
Utah Jazz 126 — Memphis Grizzlies 112
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, and Utah notched a season-best 32 assists en route to victory over Memphis in Salt Lake City.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert and Jeff Green scored 19 points apiece as the Jazz won for just the second time in the past seven games.
Royce O’Neale scored 14 points, Joe Ingles had 12 points, 10 assists and four steals, and Emmanuel Mudiay added 11 points and seven assists for the Jazz. Gobert was 8-of-9 shooting and contributed 11 rebounds and five assists for Utah, which shot 56.2 percent from the field, including 19 of 34 from 3-point range.
—Field Level Media