Rockets rout 76ers for 7th straight win
James Harden had 31 points and 10 rebounds and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 107-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
The Rockets had a big lead for most of the night after a 37-point first quarter and were up by 22 entering the fourth. Philadelphia had trouble containing Clint Capela with Joel Embiid out for the eighth straight game with a sore left knee, and Houston’s big man had 18 points and nine rebounds.
The victory came after Philadelphia won the first meeting this season 121-93 behind 32 points from Embiid.
Tobias Harris had 22 points for the 76ers, who dropped their second straight. Ben Simmons played despite dealing with stomach flu and added 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
WARRIORS 122, NUGGETS 105
In Oakland, Klay Thompson returned from a two-game absence to score 39 points with nine 3-pointers, and Golden State bounced back from its worst loss of the season to beat Denver in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference.
Thompson sat out that embarrassing 128-95 home defeat Tuesday night to the Celtics, the worst at Oracle Arena under fifthyear coach Steve Kerr, because of soreness in his right knee. He then scored 27 points in the first half Friday and wound up 9 of 11 from deep.
Kevin Durant added 26 points and six assists, and Stephen Curry scored 17 points. DeMarcus Cousins had a strong outing on both ends with 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and three steals.
Nikola Jokic had 16 points for the Nuggets.
CLIPPERS 118, THUNDER 110
In Los Angeles, Lou Williams scored 40 points, Danilo Gallinari added 34 and Los Angeles defeated foul-plagued Oklahoma City for its first four-game winning streak since November.
Williams passed former Clipper Jamal Crawford for second in NBA career points off the bench.
Russell Westbrook scored 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting for the Thunder before fouling out with 53 seconds left. Paul George, who finished with 15 points, had already fouled out with 3:49 to go. Steven Adams also picked up his sixth foul in the final seconds.
RAPTORS 127, PELICANS 104
In New Orleans, Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and Toronto snapped a two-game skid by beating undermanned New Orleans.
Pascal Siakam had 19 and Jeremy Lin added 14 for the Raptors, who began to pull away late in the third quarter and cruised to the finish against a Pelicans squad missing Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore.
Jackson scored 20 points for the Pelicans, who’ve lost two straight. Julius Randle had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Cheick Diallo had 16 points and 12 boards for New Orleans. /