NBA round-up: Raptors top Pacers for their fourth win in a row

The 76ers beat the slumping Nuggets, Griffin leads Clippers past Bobcats and Mavericks rally past visiting Wizards.

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, centre, drives the ball through the lane during the first quarter of a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre. Mark Konezny / USA TODAY

TORONTO – DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and a season-high 14 assists and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-best winning streak to four games, beating the Indiana Pacers 95-82 on Wednesday night.

Terrence Ross scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and nine rebounds as the Raptors (15-15) snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak and improved to .500 after 30 games for the first time since Jan. 6, 2010.

The Raptors have won eight of 10 games since Dec. 13, when the majority of the players acquired from Sacramento in the Rudy Gay deal made their Toronto debuts.

Roy Hibbert fouled out with 16 points and Paul George had 12 for the Pacers, who recorded a season-worst 23 turnovers. Indiana had won nine of its previous 12 meetings with Toronto, including four straight north of the border. Danny Granger scored 11 points for Indiana.

76ERS 114 NUGGETS 102

DENVER – Evan Turner scored 23 points and Thaddeus Young added 17, helping the 76ers beat the slumping Nuggets.

The Sixers had seven different players score in double figures en route to their second straight win away from home. Philadelphia halted a 13-game road losing streak in Los Angeles against the Lakers over the weekend.

J.J. Hickson had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who dropped their eighth game in a row. It’s the team’s longest skid since losing the final eight games of the 2002-03 season.

Denver also has lost some of its Mile High mystique under first-year coach Brian Shaw, losing a fifth straight at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets were a franchise-best 38-3 at home last season.

CLIPPERS 112 BOBCATS 85

LOS ANGELES – Blake Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Jared Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the Clippers to the victory.

Chris Paul had 17 points and 14 assists for the defending Pacific Division champions, who beat the Bobcats for the sixth straight time and sent them to their 17th straight road loss against Western Conference opponents.

Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker each scored 14 points for the Bobcats, whose previous six losses all were decided by five points or fewer.

Dudley jump-started the Clippers in the second half with a 3-pointer and a 22-footer, and they pulled away to a 75-62 lead on DeAndre Jordan’s tip-in with 6:19 left in the third quarter.

MAVERICKS 87 WIZARDS 78

WASHINGTON – Monta Ellis scored 23 points, Vince Carter had 13 and the Mavericks held the Wizards scoreless for more than 4 minutes late in the fourth quarter.

The Wizards led 74-70 with 4:58 to play, but the Mavericks scored nine straight points on a 3-pointer by Carter, a hook shoot by Brandan Wright, two free throws by Carter and a jumper by Ellis.

Washington didn’t score again until John Wall, who led the Wizards with 22 points, made two free throws with 46 seconds to play.

Trevor Booker had 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for Washington.

It was Dallas’ fourth straight win on the road and their eighth straight over the Wizards (14-15), who failed in their attempt to rise above .500 for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009.

TIMBERWOLVES 124 PELICANS 112

MINNEAPOLIS – Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and seven rebounds and the Timberwolves led by as many as 30 points in cruising to the victory.

Kevin Love had 21 points and six rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals for the Timberwolves. Minnesota shot 55.7 percent, attempted 35 free throws and forced a season-high 18 turnovers from the Pelicans.

Ryan Anderson had 25 points and Tyreke Evans added 16 points and seven boards for New Orleans. Eric Gordon returned from a three-game absence because of a bruised hip, but struggled with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.

Kevin Martin scored 20 points and reserve J.J. Barea had 17 to help the Wolves (16-16) to a needed win over New Orleans (14-16) in the jockeying for position in the tough Western Conference.

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