NBA: Indiana Pacers edge out Miami Heat after late rally

The Indiana Pacers, led by Paul George and Roy Hibbert,  hit back in the final quarter to squeeze past Miami Heat 84-83 Thursday night.

George top-scored for the Pacers with 23 points while Hibbert added 21 to guide their side to the slimmest of victories over their Eastern Conference rivals.

The Heat led 68-63 after the third quarter and although star man James once again shone by contributing 38 points, it was not enough to stop Indiana storming back, which ended a two-match losing run.

An all-round superb performance from Tim Duncan boosted the San Antonio Spurs, who held off a fourth quarter rally from the Denver Nuggets to triumph 108-103 and extend their impressive winning streak.

Duncan scored 29 points and added 13 rebounds and five assists as the Western Conference leaders claimed their 15th successive win, despite Denver narrowing a 17-point deficit down to five in the closing stages.

The Toronto Raptors moved closer to their first play-off appearance in six years after beating the Boston Celtics 99-90.

Terrence Ross and Kyle Lowry poured in 24 and 23 points respectively as the Raptors, third in the Eastern Conference, earned their first victory in 11 matches against the Celtics.

New Orleans Pelicans won their fourth straight match after edging past the Los Angeles Clippers 98-96. With sixteen points and 13 rebrounds from Anthony Davis.

Anthony Morrow top-scored for the Pelicans with 27 points, while Jamal Crawford led the way for the Clippers with 31 but missed late three-point efforts that could have sealed victory for his side.

Al Jefferson’s 35 points and a double-double from Kemba Walker saw the Charlotte Bobcats clinch a 116-111 overtime win over the Boston Celtics. Walker had 20 points and 12 assists in total as the Bobcats claimed their 10th home win from 12 matches.

The Phoenix Suns’ recent good form continued as they claimed their fifth successive win, and their seventh in eight matches, by beating the Washington Wizards 99-93.

The Memphis Grizzlies stormed back from a nine-point deficit after the third quarter to record a 91-87 victory over the Utah Jazz, while Gorgui Dieng’s 15 points and 15 rebounds helped the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-83 success over the Atlanta Hawks.

Carmelo Anthony notched 36 points as the New York Knicks survived a comeback from the Sacramento Kings to triumph 107-99 and the Cleveland Cavaliers came on strong in the final quarter to narrowly edge out the Detroit Pistons 97-96.