NBA Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks

Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks 104-77

Indiana's Roy Hibbert had the perfect knockout combination Friday night.

On offence, he made all but two shots. On defence, he protected the rim. At the free-throw line, he couldn't miss and no matter what the Bucks tried to stop the former All-Star centre, nothing worked.

Hibbert finished with season-highs of 24 points and eight blocks and added 10 rebounds to lead unbeaten Indiana past Milwaukee 104-77 — the Pacers' most lopsided rout in a 9-0 start.

"We have expectations and we want to win," Hibbert said. "We want to play deep, deep into the playoffs. You gain confidence with your teammates when we're all on the same page and we all have one goal. Some guys on this team before were just trying to get a paycheque and go home and then chilling on the beach and sip mojitos or something like that. That's not us. "

Hibbert was referring to the teams he played on when he first arrived in Indy.

There's no doubt that philosophy has changed. On Friday, the Pacers followed the same blue-collar script they've used to win their first nine.

Milwaukee had a season-low point total, finished well below its season average of 93.7 points, and shot just 34.1 per cent against the league's No. 1 defence. It's the fourth time Indiana has held an opponent to 80 or fewer points this season and it's the second time this week.

Now, after becoming the first team in the league to start 9-0 since Dallas in 2002-03, Indiana has a chance to reach even more milestones.

The defending Central Division champs head to Chicago on Saturday with a chance to become the 14th team in league history to go 10-0 and they can break the longest winning streak in the franchise's NBA history. Indiana also won nine straight from Nov. 2-22 in 2002. Another win also would put them on the precipice of the longest winning streak in Pacers history (11), which stretches all the way back to 1972-73, when they were still in the ABA.

About the only bad move coach Frank Vogel made Friday was pulling Hibbert early rather than allowing him to try and become the second Pacers player this week to post a triple-double.

Hibbert, true to form, didn't care. He'd rather beat Chicago anyway for the second time in 10 days and at least lock up a tie in the season series against their fiercest division rival.

"You know what? I look at the bigger picture. We have Chicago tomorrow, might as well just get a little bit a rest," Hibbert said. "A triple-double would have been great, but one of these times, everything's going to line-up, the stars, moon, sun, everything's going to line up and I'll have one of those."

So Hibbert focused on his job.

While Indiana's top scorer Paul George struggled to get open in the first half, Hibbert scorched the Bucks for 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in just 15 minutes. After making halftime adjustments, the Bucks still couldn't stop the 7-foot-2 centre, whom Vogel called the early front-runner for defensive player of the year.

And this time, Hibbert was just as proficient on the offensive end. He knocked down 8 of 10 shots from the field, made all eight of his free throws and dominated the matchup with feisty Zaza Pachulia, who played with a sore right foot.

"We threw what we had at him, but it didn't seem to affect him at all," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "You try to take something away and you give something else up. They played well. That team's playing really well."

George finished with 22 points, 17 in the second half. Lance Stephenson, who had his first triple double Monday night, had 11 points and four rebounds during a game in which the Pacers fell behind twice in the first quarter, for just 64 seconds.

Injury-riddled Milwaukee (2-6) has now dropped four straight. O.J. Mayo led the Bucks with 20 points, and his only teammates to reach double figures were Khris Middleton and Gary Neal, who each had 11.

They just didn't have a chance against the league's hottest team.

Coming off of a three-day break, Indiana started sluggishly, then used an 11-2 run to put Milwaukee in a 21-14 hole. The Pacers never looked back.

Indiana closed the first quarter on an 8-3 spurt to make it 31-21, extended the lead to 53-37 at the half and then pulled away in the third quarter when George accounted for six points in a 7-2 spurt and George and Hibbert accounted for all seven points in a 7-0 spurt to make it 68-53.

Milwaukee never got closer than 11 again.

"Every game could be the difference between home-court advantage and not having home-court advantage," Vogel said. "It doesn't matter. We're on a mission and we're trying to put ourselves in best possible position come playoff time. "

NOTES: Indiana has already beaten all four of its Central Division foes. ... Milwaukee played without Caron Butler, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders. ... The Bucks have lost five straight in Indy.

NBA Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans 116-95

The Los Angeles Lakers' sixth starting lineup in nine games clicked from the opening tip, and Jordan Hill was the biggest reason for the flow.

Hill had a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds in his first start of the season, and Pau Gasol added 14 points and eight rebounds in the Lakers' 116-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week. The Lakers left New Orleans embarrassed by their effort, but they made up for it back home with likely their best all-around performance since a season-opening win over the Clippers.

"We've just got to do this every night, because we're not good enough to take any plays off," Hill said. "We've got to have that energy every time we step on the floor. That's what I try to bring whenever I'm there. I don't care if I'm starting."

With both members of the Lakers' decorated backcourt sidelined, Hill shined in his chance to join the Lakers' latest starting lineup. Steve Nash is out for at least two weeks with nerve problems in his back, while Kobe Bryant still hasn't returned to practice after surgery on his torn Achilles' tendon in April.

Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. Los Angeles' current lineup isn't festooned with stars, but coach Mike D'Antoni is hopeful his collection of role players will stay competitive in Kobe's absence.

"This is a good group of guys, (and) I think today they realized what it's going to take to win," D'Antoni said. "And they did it. I think Jordan Hill being in that first group helped everybody with his energy ... and then everybody picked it up."

After missing much of last season with hip woes, Hill seized his chance to contribute to the Lakers, surpassing his previous career high in points early in the third quarter. The fifth-year big man provided his usual energy and rebounding determination to Los Angeles, but supplemented it with an accurate shot and constant rolls to the basket, where his teammates repeatedly found him for scores.

"He's a good guy to lean on if you want a jolt of energy," D'Antoni said.

Los Angeles outrebounded New Orleans 53-31 and had 33 assists, including 10 from new starting point guard Steve Blake.

Eric Gordon scored 17 points for the Pelicans, who have lost on the first two stops of their three-game West Coast road trip. New Orleans' struggles practically mirrored the Lakers' poor effort in Louisiana last week, leaving coach Monty Williams frustrated.

"We just didn't go out there and play as hard as we had been playing," Williams said. "We had the same game plan against that team last week and held them to 85 points, but we just didn't execute tonight. When we got down, and as a young team, I think we let our offensive game affect our defence. It was just too easy for them."

Tyreke Evans had 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting after nearly sitting out with an ankle injury for the Pelicans, who snapped an 11-game losing streak in this series Friday. Anthony Davis, who scored a career-high 32 points in that win, had just 15 points in the rematch — nine in the fourth quarter.

"They just played harder than us," Davis said. "We were kind of slow and didn't have a lot of energy out there. I got in foul trouble early, and it's hard to play like that. I never got going."

Two days after giving up 47 first-quarter points to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blowout home loss, the Lakers fared much better early on against New Orleans. Los Angeles opened the second quarter with a 22-5 run to take a 20-point lead, pushing it to 28 in the second half.

Lou Amundson debuted for the Pelicans, scoring three points while playing in a No. 17 jersey that didn't have his name on the back. New Orleans boosted its frontcourt depth by signing the UNLV product Tuesday along with Josh Childress, who didn't play.

NOTES: Henry threw down an exhilarating one-handed dunk late in the third quarter right on top of New Orleans rookie 7-footer Jeff Withey. Henry and Withey were teammates with the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2009-10 season. "That's my guy, but he shouldn't have been under there," Henry said with a laugh. ... Backup C Greg Stiemsma sprained his knee in the first half and didn't return for the Pelicans. ... Dodgers slugger Yasiel Puig and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler watched the game at courtside. Clippers coach Doc Rivers sat in the fifth row in a black cap watching his son, New Orleans G Austin Rivers, who scored seven points in 15 minutes.

NBA Golden State Warriors vs Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors vs Detroit Pistons 113-95

Stephen Curry had 25 points and eight assists, helping Golden State build a 19-point first-quarter lead before sitting out the final 12 minutes of the win over Detroit.

David Lee added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Klay Thompson had 14 points for the Warriors, who have won five straight over the Pistons.

Curry scored 12 points as part of a 19-4 run in the third quarter then sat out the entire fourth quarter when Golden State coach Mark Jackson emptied his bench.

Detroit's Andre Drummond had 16 points and 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double and fourth in seven games.

NBA Dallas Mavericks vs Washington Wizards

Dallas Mavericks vs Washington Wizards 105-95

Dirk Nowitzki passed Jerry West on the NBA scoring list from a familiar spot: behind the 3-point line.

Nowitzki had 19 points, including consecutive shots from long range in the third quarter to move up to 16th in career scoring, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Washington Wizards 105-95 Tuesday night.

The 7-foot German will go down as the best-shooting big man in league history whenever he retires, so it was fitting that the 35-year-old was 26 feet from the basket when he supplanted the man whose silhouette serves the NBA logo.

"Jerry is the man," said Nowitzki, who finished the night with 25,197 points and now goes after Reggie Miller for 15th at 25,279 points. "He is the logo and that says it all. It has been a great ride."

Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 27 points, including five 3-pointers. He also had seven rebounds and four steals.

Monta Ellis started slowly from the field before scoring 10 in the fourth quarter to help the Mavericks improve to 4-0 at home this season. Ellis matched Nowitzki with 19.

The Nowitzki was struggling from the field before a loose ball bounced to him above the key. The 11-time All-Star and 2007 MVP grabbed it, turned and hit a shot to get within a point of West's record.

On Dallas' next possession, Gal Mekel passed to Nowitzki a few feet left of the previous spot, and Nowitzki pulled up and hit another from long range with 59.9 seconds left in the third.

That bucket gave him 16 points for the game and put him ahead of West, who scored 25,192 in 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-74. He went on to become their general manager and later a Memphis Grizzlies executive.

Nowitzki, who is in his 16th season, ended up 8 of 19 from the field with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

"Yeah, I suppose it was (fitting), although Jerry West never shot a 3," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "If there had been a 3-point line back then, this milestone would have come later. He's going to pass more big names in the weeks and months to come."

Vince Carter scored 16, and Samuel Dalembert led Dallas with 13 points in the first half and finished with 15. DeJuan Blair had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Washington.

The Wizards had their last lead early in the second quarter, but were down just 89-84 when Ellis hit a pull-up jumper and was fouled by Bradley Beal, who was held to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting two nights after scoring a career-high 34 in an overtime loss at Oklahoma City.

"That's the confusing part," Beal said. "We played so aggressively and so hard against OKC. It was like Game 7 of the finals or something. Then now, we come out tonight and not have that same mentality."

Ellis' bucket over Beal was his first shot of the fourth quarter after he had gone 3 of 10 through the first three.

Ellis missed the free throw, but the Wizards couldn't convert on three chances at the other end. After Nene lost the ball out of bounds trying to make a post move, Shawn Marion hit a runner to put Dallas back up by nine.

"He's going to keep attacking," Nowitzki said of Ellis. "All good scorers in this league are like that. He was phenomenal in the fourth quarter. He kept that cushion for us."

Nowitzki hit a runner to give the Mavericks their biggest lead at 71-56, but the Wizards went on an 18-6 run to make it a game again. Ariza had 11 points during the run, including a 3-pointer and a dunk on consecutive possessions.

John Wall had assists on five straight buckets during the spurt and finished with 10. Wall and Nene scored 14 apiece.

Carter started a 16-2 Dallas run in the second quarter with a 3-pointer, and Ellis finished it with a nifty reverse layup to put the Mavericks up 49-38.

After the Wizards got within four, Jose Calderon made a 3-pointer and Carter hit another 3 at the shot clock buzzer to give Dallas a 59-49 lead in the final minute of the first half. Carter was 4 of 9 from long range.

The Mavericks scored seven points in one trip late in the first quarter to turn a 29-23 deficit into a 30-29 lead.

Jae Crowder was fouled on a driving bank shot and missed the free throw, but DeJuan Blair grabbed the rebound before hitting a shot and getting fouled. His missed free throw was tipped by Carter to Mekel, who passed back to Carter for a 3-pointer from the left wing.

"That's just commitment to rebounding," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "Just not ready. I don't know what to say about that. Inexcusable."

NOTES: The teams combined to shoot 60 per cent in a 67-point first quarter, which ended with the Wizards in front 34-33. ... Mavericks G Wayne Ellington sat out with a right thigh contusion. ... Mavericks G Devin Harris says he's targeting a mid-December return from off-season toe surgery.

NBA Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks

Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 118-95

The defensive effort was closer to Miami Heat standards.

LeBron James made it difficult to notice anything but offence.

James scored 33 points on 13 for 21 shooting — with an array of post-up moves getting him going early, then a barrage of 3-pointers fueling a big third-quarter push — and the Heat encountered little trouble on the way to a 118-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

James scored 17 points in the third quarter, his best 12-minute stretch of the season so far and an indicator that a balky back that slowed him in the season's first couple weeks is improving.

"It's getting better," James said. "It feels a lot better. Still a little sore ... getting a lot of work put on it so I can get to 100 per cent. But it's getting better every day and that's a good thing."

Michael Beasley scored 19 points and Mario Chalmers finished with 15 points and seven assists for the Heat, whose biggest victory margin before Tuesday was a 12-point triumph over Chicago on opening night. Chris Bosh scored 10 for Miami (5-3).

Miami played without Udonis Haslem (back) and Ray Allen (ill). Shane Battier started in Haslem's place.

"It wasn't perfect," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team was coming off a final-second loss to Boston on Saturday. "There were still some areas we definitely need to improve on, in terms of the details and discipline. But at least the effort, the effort, the activity was better, the disposition right from the beginning and it carried through once we got into the rotation. Guys were much more focused and bringing that competitive spirit."

John Henson and Gary Neal each scored 18 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 for Milwaukee — all three of them putting up those points off the Bucks' bench. Caron Butler was the only double-digit-scoring starter for the Bucks (2-4), finishing with 10.

"They shot almost 60 per cent today so there's no way we can win a game like that," Henson said. "We just have to get better."

The Heat have scored at least 100 points in each of their eight games so far, extending the team's franchise-record for such a start, but what carried much more significance in the collective eyes of the two-time defending NBA champions were the defensive numbers.

Milwaukee shot only 35 per cent in the first three quarters, before scoring 33 points against an array of what largely was Heat second- and third-teamers in the final 12 minutes.

"It's been a long 48 hours in this building, but at least we were able to respond with a better game," Spoelstra said. "And I think our guys felt better looking each other in the eye in the locker room tonight."

James gave the Heat a shot of adrenalin late in the half, when he and Chalmers teamed up for yet another entry on Miami's alley-oop highlight reel. Dwyane Wade grabbed a deflected ball and got it to Chalmers, who drove down the lane against Milwaukee's Khris Middleton — then simply lofted the ball straight up, knowing James was trailing the play.

The result was predictable. James soared past Middleton for the dunk, the Heat took a 56-45 lead into the half, and the league's four-time MVP then took over in the third quarter.

"Best player in the world," the Bucks' O.J. Mayo said.

James 17, Bucks 17 — that was the score in the third quarter, after the Heat star made 6 of 9 shots in the period, including four 3-pointers. He also drove for one particularly emphatic slam, and the 84-62 lead that Miami carried into the fourth ensured he would get the rest of the night off after logging only 30 minutes.

"There were moments were I was very disappointed particularly when people were driving to the basket and we're moving out of their way," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "I will not tolerate that. That will not be accepted, I don't care who it is. If they're going to the basket, we've got to challenge, we've got to foul then and make them earn it from the free-throw line. We can't be moving out of people's way."

NOTES: Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather was courtside, and the Brazilian national soccer team was also in attendance. ... Beasley's fourth point was the 5,000th of his NBA career. ... Drew, on how his team is going to be short-handed without Ersan Ilyasova, Luke Ridnour and Larry Sanders: "There will be some guys who will probably play out of position, but this is what being short-handed is all about."

NBA Los Angeles Clippers vs Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Clippers vs Houston Rockets 107-94

The Los Angeles Clippers used a strong defensive effort and a spark from reserve Jamal Crawford at the just the right time to salvage a win on their three-game road trip.

Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick scored 22 points, and the Clippers had an 18-0 run in the second half to rally for a 107-94 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Crawford had 16 points, Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists and DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Griffin also had seven rebounds and Redick shot 8 for 15 from the field. Darren Collison added 10 points off the bench.

Los Angeles trailed 71-60 with about 5 minutes to go in the third quarter before its big run that lasted into the opening minutes of the fourth.

"I kept telling them to hang in there," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We hung around and got it going and our defence won the game. Houston had, I think five points in the last six minutes (of the third quarter), and 37 points in the whole second half for a good offensive team. I thought Darren Collison was fantastic and Jamal made big shots."

Los Angeles shot 14 for 23 on free throws, but just 9 for 24 on 3-pointers.

Dwight Howard had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, but was just 5 for 11 on free throws. Chandler Parsons added 23 points and eight rebounds, while Patrick Beverley scored 19 points.

James Harden, who was a game-time decision with a bruised left foot, had 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting.

Houston finished 17 of 27 from the free throw line.

Trailing by 11, the Clippers scored the final 13 points of the third quarter to take a two-point lead on a tip-in by Crawford at the buzzer.

"We were on the line trying to get it to 13, and then it just snowballed from there," Houston coach Kevin McHale said about the end of the third quarter. "We missed some shots, and we started doubting it and we stopped taking some shots that we needed to take. Then, we got a lot of turnovers and we just got really passive. We just got nothing going from that point on."

Los Angeles kept the run going to start the fourth, with Crawford capping it with a three-point play with 10:21 remaining in the game to increase the lead to 78-71. Crawford had seven points and Jared Dudley added five points in the spurt that lasted nearly seven minutes.

"Chris got it started being a spark plug for us," Crawford said about what changed in the third. "I think it was kind of slow to start the game, and we just followed the lead and coach kept challenging us to get defensive stops because that breaks a team's spirits. Our offence was coming from our defence."

Paul pointed to the Clippers' defensive intensity as a reason for the run.

"We knew that this was a team that made some runs, but at the same time, they will let you back into the game," Paul said. "Once we started the third quarter, we came out and played with a lot more purpose, more passion. That tip in by Jamal at the end of the third quarter was huge for us."

Houston pulled to 84-80 on Harden's three-point play with 7:21 remaining, but that would be as close as they would get.

Los Angeles had a 9-3 run over the next three minutes to increase the advantage to 92-83 on Griffin's free throw with 4:15 to go.

Houston tried a 'Hack a Jordan' tactic with 3 minutes remaining, and despite Jordan missing both free throws, Los Angeles countered by fouling Howard and taking Jordan out of the game. Howard made a free throw to get the Rockets to 97-90, but Redick hit two free throws and Collison made a 3-pointer with 1:39 remaining to stretch the lead to 102-90.

Los Angeles outscored the Rockets 27-16 in the third quarter and 61-39 in the second half.

"We just stopped playing the way we had played to get the lead, and when you are playing against a team like the Clippers, they've been together a couple of years and play well together," Howard said. "We had to continue to do things that got us the lead, and we didn't do that tonight and they capitalized on it. They got a good road win."

The Clippers opened up an 18-8 lead midway through the first quarter as Redick scored eight of Los Angeles' first 10 points. Houston finished the quarter on an 11-0 run over the final 3:40 of the period. Howard had 10 points in the first, including the first four of the run.

Houston kept it up in the second quarter, extending the lead to 10 at 39-29 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Beverley with 7:26 left in the period.

The Rockets led 55-46 at halftime.

NOTES: Los Angeles F Matt Barnes missed his third straight game with a right thigh contusion. ... Beverley had a career-high four steals. ... The Sandau Trio Russian Bar, who were on "America's Got Talent" performed at halftime.

NBA Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers 127-125

Kyrie Irving wasn't about to come up short a third time.

Irving, who missed potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime, scored on a layup with 0.6 seconds remaining in the second extra session to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers a 127-125 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

"Thirty-three per cent isn't bad, I'd take that any day," said Irving, who scored a season-high 39 points.

Irving's winning basket ended a wild 22 minutes of play that saw Cleveland rally from a 10-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter and Philadelphia tie the game late in regulation and in the first overtime. The Cavaliers led 125-122 after Irving hit two free throws with 21.1 seconds left in the second OT, but rookie Michael Carter-Williams tied the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Irving with 11.3 seconds remaining.

The Cavaliers called timeout and chose to take the ball the length of the floor. Irving took the inbounds pass, avoided a double team near the top of the key, drove the lane and scored on a left-handed layup.

"The middle was wide open," Irving said.

"He's a spectacular player," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "When you have a guy like Kyrie, you're going to have plenty of opportunities to win. Each time I thought he took the right shot. I applaud him to try to close the game the right way. When the game was on the line, we put the ball in his hands to go get it for us."

Sixers coach Brett Brown gave Irving full credit.

"Kyrie is just incredibly elusive and skilled," he said. "We tried to bring our bigs out to corral him and try and double-(team), but you really can't corral him and keep in front of him. He is such an unusual player to guard, you don't see too many like him in the NBA. Kevin Durant is one of the few other ones."

Philadelphia called timeout, but Carter-Williams' inbounds pass went out of bounds.

Thaddeus Young's lay-in with 5.5 seconds remaining tied the game in regulation and Evan Turner's baseline drive tied it with 8.7 seconds left in the first overtime.

Dion Waiters scored 24 points and Jarrett Jack added 20 for the Cavaliers in the second game of the home-and-home set.

Turner led the Sixers with 31 points and Young had 29.

"That was a great NBA game," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "The only negative is that we lost. I told our guys how proud I am of them because they continued to fight and find any way possible to win."

Irving scored 13 points in the final period to help Cleveland overcome a 10-point deficit. Cleveland stretched the lead to 97-92, but the Sixers cut the lead to one on two occasions in the final minute. Tristan Thompson split two free throws with 10.5 seconds to go before Young tied the game with a strong drive past Thompson. Irving got to the rim, but his layup rolled off.

Cleveland built a 116-109 lead with 1:35 left in the first OT, but the Sixers rallied again. Following Turner's game-tying basket, Irving jumper bounced away at the buzzer.

Philadelphia, picked by many to be one of the worst teams in the league, has been an early surprise. The Sixers won their first three games, including victories over Miami and Chicago, but then had home losses to Golden State and Washington by a total of 34 points. The Sixers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter Friday to blow out the Cavaliers.

Cleveland centre Andrew Bynum didn't play in order to rest his sore knees. The 7-footer has yet to play in games on back-to-back nights as he works his way back from surgery on both knees. Bynum was booed throughout his return to Philadelphia on Friday when he scored four points and had five rebounds in 18 minutes.

Cavaliers rookie forward Anthony Bennett, who strained his right shoulder Friday, was scoreless in nine minutes. Bennett, the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, has struggled in the early going of his first season, hitting 1 of 21 shots from the field.

NOTES: Irving, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, took a charge from Sixers C Spencer Hawes, who is 7-1 and 245 pounds, in the second quarter. ... Alonzo Gee started at small forward for Cleveland in place of Earl Clark, who started the first six games, but is averaging four points and shooting 30 per cent from the field. Gee scored two points in 22 minutes while Clark didn't play. ... C Daniel Orton (sore right knee) missed his second straight game for the Sixers. He was injured Wednesday against the Wizards.