Russell Westbrook scored 33 points on a night when forward Kevin Durant sat out with a sore right foot and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth straight with a 110-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Thunder 110, Hornets 103
Guard Russell Westbrook scored 33 points on a night when forward Kevin Durant sat out with a sore right foot and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth straight with a 110-103 road victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Westbrook, the NBA’s second-leading scorer at 26.0 points per game, took charge of a team that was working in four new players acquired in trades on Thursday and was without Durant for the 28th game this season.
The game was tied with six minutes left before the Thunder launched an 8-0 run to take control.
Pelicans 105, Heat 91
Despite suffering a pair of crucial injuries, the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a four-game losing slide with a 105-91 road win over the Miami Heat.
Pelicans star Anthony Davis re-injured his right shoulder when he collided with Heat center Hassan Whiteside in the first quarter. Davis missed the All-Star Game and two games before returning on Friday.
New Orleans also lost forward Ryan Anderson with an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Rockets 98, Raptors 76
James Harden recovered from a sluggish start with an explosive third quarter, keyed a late-period surge and the Houston Rockets demolished the Toronto Raptors 98-76.
Harden scored 16 of his 20 points in the third quarter, parlaying 5 of 6 shooting into a timely recovery after he missed all six of his shot attempts in the first half.
Toronto’s backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored a combined 21 points on 6-for-27 shooting.
Clippers 126, Kings 99
Guard J.J. Redick scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half, and the Los Angeles Clippers pounded the Sacramento Kings 126-99.
Guard Austin Rivers had his best game as a Clipper, leading all scorers with a career-high 28 points as the Clippers (37-19) won their fourth in a row.
