The New Orleans Pelicans' losing start to the 2015-16 NBA season ended last night as they saw off the Dallas Mavericks 120-105 in one of seven Tuesday night contests.
New Orleans had lost their first six games of the season, but blew away the Mavs in the first two quarters before star player Anthony Davis, who had 17 points, sat out the second half with a bruised hip.
Ryan Anderson finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, while guard Ish Smith (17 points, 12 assists) had his first-ever double-double.
LeBron James's 31 points and eight assists helped the Cleveland Cavaliers secure their seventh straight win as they overcame the Utah Jazz 118-114.
Utah led by nine midway through the fourth quarter, but James scored 17 in the final frame to help his team avoid defeat and extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
At Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Raptors lost at home for the first time this season as the New York Knicks edged a two-point game.
DeMar DeRozan, with 29 points, was the top scorer, but it was not enough for the Raptors as New York won for the third time in four away games this season and inflicted a third straight defeat on Toronto, who had started the season 5-0.
Another team to have now lost three on the trot are the Washington Wizards, who were comprehensively put away 125-101 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Russell Westbrook (22 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) had his first triple-double of the season as Dion Waiters led the way with 25 points for the Thunder.
The Miami Heat improved to 5-3 with a 101-88 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Chris Bosh had a season-high 30 points as Miami cruised to victory in the second half after leading by just one point at the interval.
The Milwaukee Bucks' winning streak ended at four games as they fell to a 16-point defeat against the Boston Celtics.
Boston used a late surge at the end of the third quarter to pull away as Evan Turner's balanced performance (13 points, five rebounds, six assists, four steals) helped them secure the win.
The number-one pick in this year's Draft, Karl-Anthony Towns, had his fifth double-double in seven games (19 points, 13 rebounds), but the Minnesota Timberwolves were beaten at home by the Charlotte Hornets.
Jeremy Lin top-scored for the Hornets with 19 points, while Jeremy Lamb added 18 on 8-10 shooting as Charlotte earned their third win of the season.
Results in full: Utah Jazz 114-118 Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder 125-101 Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers 88-101 Miami Heat, New York Knicks 111-109 Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics 99-83 Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets 104-95 Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks 105-120 New Orleans Pelicans
Pascal Lemesre
