James Harden scored 40 points and Russell Westbrook, who played against his former club for the first time, was very close to completing a triple-double for the second time in a row. But it was PJ Tucker’s ability on both sides of the field that helped the Houston Rockets secure a 116: 112 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Tucker scored 17 points and made nine rebounds, and he consistently took responsibility to defend his team’s opponents, no matter how long or small they were. His three-point lead with 54.8 seconds left allowed the Rockets to take a six-point lead at the end of the game.
Westbrook closed the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists while Harden had seven assists. Harden proved accurate in 21 of 22 free throws. Tucker was accurate in 5 of his 7 points for the tripod. Meanwhile, Clint Capela contributed 15 points for Houston.
Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points for the Thunder, while Danilo Gallinari added 17 points. Chris Paul scored 15 on his return to Houston and Nerlens Noel also scored 15.
Knicks 105, Bulls 98
Reserveist Bobby Portis scored an important three-point lead with 1:47 left in the game and scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. With his help, New York overturned an 18-point deficit to beat Chicago.
76ers 105, Hawks 103
Joel Embiid scored 36 points, including two crucial free throws with only 5.3 seconds left in the game, helping Philadelphia to cross Atlanta.
Clippers 111, Hornets 96
Kawhi Leonard amassed 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks while Los Angeles secured a win against Charlotte. The Clippers won for the third time in four games this season.
Pistons 96, Pacers 94
Christian Wood scored 19 points and totaled 12 rebounds despite being unbeaten and Derrick Rose ended his poor form last night by scoring a crucial basket in the final minutes of the match to give Detroit a victory Indiana.
Spurs 113, Trail Blazers 110
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and led a San Antonio Spurs team that beat Portland.
Bucks 129, Cavaliers 112
Khris Middleton helped seven players reach double-digit points in his squad, helping Milwaukee secure a win against Clevelend.
Jazz 96, Suns 95
Bojan Bogdanovic scored four three-pointers on his way to totaling 29 points, while Donovan Mitchel added another 25 points and scored a free kick when only 0.4 seconds left to give Utah the lead. a close win.
Nuggets 101, Kings 94
Gary Harris contributed a few points, including a three-pointer, during the third quarter of the game which proved to be crucial in the face of Denver and the Sacramentos.
Raptors 104, Magic 95
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, including a crucial point and five free throws in the fourth quarter, and Toronto beat Orlando.
Warriors 134, Pelicans 123
Stephen Curry scored 26 points and Draymond Green scored a triple-double as Golden State defeated the New Orlanders in a showdown between two teams that have not yet won this season.