NEW YORK — At times, such as when James Harden raced up the floor and found a cutting Kawhi Leonard for a layup, it was easy to see why the Clippers’ new four-star system can be so potent.

Other times, such as when Russell Westbrook threw away a pass trying to get the ball to Harden to ignite a fast break as the Knicks were taking control, it appeared it might take a while before that happens.

Harden scored 17 points Monday night in his first game of the season, but the Clippers fell too far behind with a rough start to the fourth quarter and the Knicks beat them 111-97.

Harden joined the Clippers last week after finally getting the trade he sought from the Philadelphia 76ers since the summer and jumped right into the starting lineup in his debut, taking the floor with Leonard, Westbrook and Paul George.

But the first four went to the bench for good after Harden’s bad pass led to a Knicks fast-break layup that made it 104-88 with 4:25 to play.

Harden played 31 minutes and led the Clippers with six assists.

PACERS 152, SPURS 111: Tyrese Haliburton scored 23 points, and host Indiana routed San Antonio for Coach Rick Carlisle’s 900th career victory.

Carlisle, who played two seasons at UMaine (1979-81), is second among active coaches in wins.

MAVS 117, MAGIC 102: Luca Doncic returned from a brief absence after bumping his head to score 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, leading Dallas to a win at Orlando, Florida.

BUCKS 129, NETS 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 12 rebounds to help Milwaukee win at New York.

Damian Lillard added 21 points, and Jae Crowder had 15. Milwaukee improved to 4-2 with its first road victory of the season.

76ERS 146, WIZARDS 128: Joel Embiid scored 29 of his season-high 48 points in the third quarter and host Philadelphia  rolled to its fifth straight victory.

Philadelphia is unbeaten after a one-point loss at Milwaukee in its opener.

HEAT 108, LAKERS 107: Bam Adebayo had the first 20-rebound triple-double in Miami history, Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and the Heat survived a big offensive drought at the end to beat visiting Los Angeles.

Adebayo had 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists for Miami in what became his sixth regular-season triple-double. Tyler Herro also scored 22 points for the Heat, and Duncan Robinson added 12.

LeBron James led all scorers with 30 points for the Lakers, who fell to 0-4 on the road.

NOTES

ALL-STAR GAME: The Golden State Warriors will host the 2025 All-Star Game at Chase Center, a showcase years in the making as the organization hoped to host major events in its sparkling new arena.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement at the 4-year-old venue in San Francisco, where the Warriors moved from across the bay in Oakland. It’ll be the third time that the Warriors play host to an All-Star weekend, joining 1967 and 2000.

Events will be held from Feb. 14-16, 2025. Some will take place at the team’s former home in Oakland, California – including the All-Star Celebrity Game, All-Star practices, the NBA HBCU Classic and the G League Next Up Game.

Chase Center will be the site of the Rising Stars Game on All-Star Friday, the All-Star Saturday Night lineup including the 3-point contest and dunk competition, and the All-Star Game itself on Sunday.