DALLAS (REUTERS) - Indiana star Paul George shook off a cold-shooting first half, George Hill knocked down three crucial three-pointers and three players with Dallas ties helped the Pacers knock off the struggling Mavericks 112-105 in a rare Saturday National Basketball Association (NBA) matinee.
The Pacers, who made their first 25 free throws and finished 27-of-29, never trailed in the second half, but Dallas sliced an 11-point deficit to 92-91 with 5min 28sec to go in the fourth period.
That is when Hill, who finished with 16 points, went around the horn, hitting three consecutive three-pointers, first from the corner, then straightaway and finally from the other corner.
In other NBA games on Saturday:
Hornets 125 Rockets 109: Kemba Walker scored 26 points and Marvin Williams added 25, and the Charlotte Hornets ran their winning streak to seven straight with a 125-109 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Walker bounced back from an off-night in a win over Detroit on Friday by hitting 11-of-16 of from the field with four three-pointers. He also had six assists and five rebounds.
Hawks 95 Grizzlies 83: Centre Al Horford and forward Paul Millsap combined for 38 points and 15 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks defeat the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies 95-83 and sweep the two-game season series.
Millsap scored 21 points on eight-for-16 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. Horford scored 19 points on eight-for-12 shooting and added eight rebounds and two assists.
Raptors 112 Heat 104: DeMar DeRozan poured in a game-high 38 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat 112-104 in overtime at Air Canada Centre.
DeRozan added 10 rebounds and seven assists for Toronto (44-20), which has won three straight and 15 of 16 at home.
Bucks 103 Pelicans 92: Khris Middleton scored 19 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 103-92 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Bradley Center.
After watching Antetokounmpo record three triple-doubles over the last month, Middleton spent the night flirting with one but fell just short, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
