A busy Thursday schedule of NBA basketball did feature LeBron James & the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Boston Celtics to remain the only undefeated team in the league, but everyone’s focus went to the showdown between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, turning out to be a very one sided affair as the Golden State Warriors crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sacramento Kings 94 Orlando Magic 102: The Kings continue to be about DeMarcus Cousins (33 points, 11 rebounds) and a bit of Rudy Gay (16 points). The Magic, in the meantime, seem to be getting better, led by 29 points from Evan Fournier, while Serge Ibaka scored 17 points, despite an off night from beyond the arc, shooting 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Indiana Pacers 107 Milwaukee Bucks 125: The Pacers can’t win away from home, and their defense is a mess. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker were at their best, both scoring 27 points, getting big help from Greg Monroe, scoring 16 points off the bench. Paul George led the Pacers with 23 points, as they fell to 0-3 on the road.
Denver Nuggets 102 Minnesota Timberwolves 99: The Nuggets relied on Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler each scoring 19 points, with help from Jusuf Nurkic, scoring 18. The Timberwolves suffered from both Kris Dunn and Gorgui Dieng having terrible games, and the 57 combined points from Towns and Wiggins weren’t enough.
Boston Celtics 122 Cleveland Cavaliers 128: The game wasn’t as close as the score suggests, with the Celtics getting plenty of garbage time points. LeBron James was fantastic with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists, while Kyrie Irving helped out scoring 23 and Kevin Love finished with 26. Isaiah Thomas was 14-for-14 from the line to finish with 30 points, but Celtics couldn’t prevent the Cavaliers from remaining the only undefeated team in the NBA.
Oklahoma City Thunder 96 Golden State Warriors 122: Kevin Durant was on fire facing off against his former team, in a game that had a lot of trash talking and tense moments between players, but very little suspense. Durant scored 39 points, 29 of them in the first half, closing out the game in the second quarter. Russell Westbrook scored 20 points on just 4-of-15 from the field, turning the ball over 6 times.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 5 |
| 2 | Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1.5 | 4 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Charlotte Hornets | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1.5 | 4 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1.5 | 4 |
| 6 | Detroit Pistons | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 8 | Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 9 | Miami Heat | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2.5 | 4 |
| 10 | Brooklyn Nets | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 12 | Indiana Pacers | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3.5 | 4 |
| 14 | Washington Wizards | 0 | 3 | .000 | 4.0 | 3 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 4 | .000 | 4.5 | 4 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs * | 4 | 1 | .800 | – | 5 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors * | 4 | 1 | .800 | 0.0 | 5 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder * | 5 | 1 | .833 | -0.5 | 6 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 3 | 1 | .750 | 0.5 | 4 |
| 5 | Houston Rockets | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 7 | Utah Jazz | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 4 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 2 | 4 | .333 | 2.5 | 6 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2.5 | 4 |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 0 | 4 | .000 | 3.5 | 4 |
| 15 | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 5 | .000 | 4.0 | 5 |