Rondo wins on debut, Hawks triumph in Houston

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Rondo ended his eight-year stay in Boston after the four-time All-Star was acquired by the Mavericks in a package deal on Thursday.

And the 28-year-old - part of the Celtics' 2008 championship-winning team - enjoyed a successful first outing against the depleted Spurs at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Rondo was three of 11 from the field for six points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

But the night belonged to Monta Ellis, with the guard's game-high 38 points leading the Mavs (20-8) past the Spurs (17-11), who were without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Daniel Green.

Ellis produced the goods late in the game, scoring 11 points during the final four minutes as the Mavs outscored the defending champions 24-16 in the fourth quarter for a third consecutive win.

Chandler Parsons had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris registered 13 points apiece.

Marco Belinelli (21), Aron Baynes (16), Matt Bonner (14), Cory Joseph (14) and Kyle Anderson (11) all shot double-digit points for the Spurs.

The in-form Atlanta Hawks were too good for the Houston Rockets, winning 104-97 on the road.

Kyle Korver starred for the Hawks, scoring 22 points and setting a new franchise record of 49 consecutive free throws without a miss.

The Hawks, who notched their 12th victory in 13 outings, went on a 7-0 run with three minutes remaining to break the tied game.

Al Horford and Paul Millsap added 14 points each for Atlanta, while DeMarre Carroll contributed 13 of his own as the Hawks improved to a 19-7 win-loss record.

Star duo Dwight Howard (19 points, 11 rebounds) and James Harden (18 points, 14 assists) both had double-doubles for the beaten Rockets (19-7).

LaMarcus Aldridge inspired the Portland Trail Blazers to a convincing 114-88 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Following on from his 32 points against the Spurs, Aldridge shot 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Trail Blazers cruised past the Pelicans, having led by 32 points heading into the final quarter.

Aldridge has now posted 20 or more points in a game on 19 occasions this season.

In other results, the Denver Nuggets upstaged the Indiana Pacers 76-73, while the Los Angeles Clippers survived to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-102.

The Phoenix Suns were 99-90 winners over the New York Knicks thanks to Eric Bledsoe (25) and Miles Plumlee (22), who combined for 47 points and the Charlotte Hornets accounted for the Utah Jazz 104-86.

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