A slightly busier than usual night in the NBA on Thursday, that included the Houston Rockets edging the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, the Oklahoma City Thunder floundering in Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers looking awful against the Wizards, DeMar DeRozan pulling the Raptors against the Pelicans and De’Aaron Fox hitting a game winner for the Kings over the red hot 76ers.
Los Angeles Lakers 95 Washington Wizards 111: The Lakers continue to look bad with Lonzo Ball running the show, shooting only 36% from the field, while Ball himself is just 29.2% from the field so far this season. Meanwhile, the Wizards are back to over .500, as John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter each score 20 or more, combining 65 points.
New Orleans Pelicans 118 Toronto Raptors 122: The Raptors pulled away at the very end thanks to DeMar DeRozan, who also finished with 33 points, aided by Serge Ibaka scoring 19 and Kyle Lowry adding 18. Jrue Holiday led the Pelicans with 34 points, while the twin towers shot just 36.8% from the field, combining for a disappointing 38 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers 113 Houston Rockets 117: In the best game of the night, it came down to some big plays from Clint Capela, including a block on LeBron James, to help the Rockets improve to 9-3 this season while the Cavs continue their struggles. James Harden had a triple double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. LeBron James led the Cavs with 33, helped by Jeff Green (27 points) and no one else.
Philadelphia 76ers 108 Sacramento Kings 109: De’Aaron Fox hit a mid-range jumperThe Sixers’ five-game winning streak ended in Sacramento, as with 14 seconds to go to win the game for the Kings. He scored 11 off the bench, and helped by 20 from Zach Randolph and 19 by Justin Jackson. Robert Covington led the Sixers with 24 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 94 Denver Nuggets 102: Carmelo Anthony finished with 28, but overall, it looks very bad. The struggles of the Thunder continue in their big three era, with Russell Westbrook shooting just 6-for-22 from the field and both he and PG13 scoring only 26 combined points. Meanwhile, the inconsistent Nuggets got a big lift from their bench, including Emmanuel Mudiay, finishing with 21 points.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 10 | 2 | .833 | – | 12 |
| 2 | Detroit Pistons | 8 | 3 | .727 | 1.5 | 11 |
| 3 | Orlando Magic | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.5 | 11 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.5 | 11 |
| 5 | Philadelphia 76ers | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.5 | 11 |
| 6 | New York Knicks | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.5 | 11 |
| 7 | Washington Wizards | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.5 | 11 |
| 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 5 | 6 | .455 | 4.5 | 11 |
| 9 | Miami Heat | 5 | 6 | .455 | 4.5 | 11 |
| 10 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 7 | .417 | 5.0 | 12 |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | 5 | 7 | .417 | 5.0 | 12 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | 6 | .400 | 5.0 | 10 |
| 13 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 7 | .364 | 5.5 | 11 |
| 14 | Chicago Bulls | 2 | 7 | .222 | 6.5 | 9 |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks | 2 | 9 | .182 | 7.5 | 11 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Rockets | 9 | 3 | .750 | – | 12 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 9 | 3 | .750 | 0.0 | 12 |
| 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 7 | 4 | .636 | 1.5 | 11 |
| 4 | San Antonio Spurs | 7 | 4 | .636 | 1.5 | 11 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 7 | 4 | .636 | 1.5 | 11 |
| 6 | Denver Nuggets | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2.0 | 12 |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | 6 | 5 | .545 | 2.5 | 11 |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3.0 | 12 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Clippers | 5 | 5 | .500 | 3.0 | 10 |
| 10 | Utah Jazz | 5 | 6 | .455 | 3.5 | 11 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4.0 | 12 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | 7 | .364 | 4.5 | 11 |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | 4 | 8 | .333 | 5.0 | 12 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 3 | 8 | .273 | 5.5 | 11 |
| 15 | Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 10 | .167 | 7.0 | 12 |