Lillard Drops 31 On Nuggets – NBA Roundup

UNDATED (AP) — The Indiana Pacers own the NBA's best record once again following a lopsided victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Paul George scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter as the Pacers hammered the Lakers 118-98. George contributed 10 points in a decisive 14-5 spurt that gave Indiana an 80-68 lead with 2:58 to go in the third period. The Pacers finished the quarter on an 11-2 run to make it 91-70, and the Lakers couldn't get closer than 19 the rest of the way.

George also had seven rebounds and six assists despite spending the entire fourth quarter on the bench with most of Indiana's starters.

Evan Turner chipped in 13 points as the Pacers improved to 43-13, a half-game ahead of West-leading Oklahoma City.

Also in the NBA:

- James Harden poured in a season-high 43 points before resting for all of the fourth quarter of Houston's 129-103 laugher at Sacramento. Dwight Howard left briefly after banging his right knee but returned to finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Rockets' 10th victory in 11 games.

- Kevin Love fell one assist shy of his second triple-double in three games, finishing with 33 points and 13 rebounds in Minnesota's 110-101 victory at Phoenix. Rookie Shabazz Muhammad had a career-high 20 points for the Timberwolves, who trailed by eight with 7:57 remaining before outscoring the Suns 24-6.

- Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 31 points in the third quarter of Portland's 100-95 win at Denver. Lillard also hit several big shots late in the game after the Nuggets had cut the Trail Blazers' 18-point lead to two.

- Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls had two players with double-doubles in a 107-103 triumph in Atlanta. Joakim Noah had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Carlos Boozer had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Bulls' sixth victory in seven games.

- Toronto also picked up its sixth victory in seven games as DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter of a 99-93 victory over Cleveland. DeRozan dunked on a baseline drive and added two free throws to give the Raptors a 94-91 lead with 1:23 remaining.

- John Wall scored 27 points, and Washington moved back over .500 with a 115-106 win against Orlando. Trevor Ariza (ah-REE'-zuh) shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with 22 points, while Marcin Gortat (mahr-SEEN' GOHR'-taht) had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Wizards' season-high fourth straight win.

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has set a return date.

The Miami Heat forward says he should be able to play Thursday against the New York Knicks. The league MVP suffered a broken nose in a game against Oklahoma City last week and sat out the Heat's win over Chicago Sunday.

James plans to try out a new protective mask in practice Wednesday and intends to wear it in games while his nose heals.

NEW YORK (AP)— New York police say Knicks point guard Raymond Felton has been arrested on three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Police say Felton turned himself in at 12:50 a.m. on Tuesday, hours after his team lost at home to the Dallas Mavericks.

Police say a lawyer for Felton's wife turned in a loaded gun allegedly belonging to the basketball star, saying she didn't want it in her home.

Police say the charges don't stem from his using the firearm in a menacing manner, but from possessing a gun he wasn't registered to have.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Drew Gooden has agreed to join the Washington Wizards on a 10-day contract.

Gooden is expected to sign the deal and join the team in time for Thursday's game against the Toronto Raptors. He hasn't played since he was designated as an amnesty player by the Milwaukee Bucks last summer.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins will miss six weeks after a medical procedure on his left groin. The team says Perkins was injured during the Feb. 20 against Miami. He's averaging 3.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 54 starts.

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Indiana 118, L.A. Lakers 98

Washington 115, Orlando 106

Toronto 99, Cleveland 93

Chicago 107, Atlanta 103

Minnesota 110, Phoenix 101

Portland 100, Denver 95

Houston 129, Sacramento 103

Orlando at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at Chicago, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Cleveland at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Detroit at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Utah, 9 p.m.

Brooklyn at Portland, 10 p.m.

Houston at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Milwaukee at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m.

New York at Miami, 8 p.m.

Brooklyn at Denver, 10:30 p.m.

Utah at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Golden State at New York, 8 p.m.

Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Charlotte at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Sacramento at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.