The Raptors (38-14) stayed hot with a 115-106 win away to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday – a franchise record 10th straight road victory.
Serge Ibaka fuelled the Raptors with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet (20 points) and Kyle Lowry (16 points, 11 assists) made solid contributions.
Lowry moved third on Toronto's all-time list for scoring, surpassing Vince Carter, before leaving the game with whiplash.
Eastern Conference rivals the 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Grizzlies 119-107 in Philadelphia.
Struggling on the road, the 76ers impressed again at Wells Fargo Center thanks to 22 points and 10 assists from Ben Simmons.
A stiff neck limited Joel Embiid to 10 points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes.
What the Furk?
Forget about Simmons, Embiid and Tobias Harris, it was the Furkan Korkmaz show in Philadelphia. Korkmaz had a career-high 34 points. The Turkish import made 13 of 17 shots, including seven of nine three-pointers.
All-Star Jayson Tatum posted 32 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Atlanta Hawks 112-107. John Collins had 30 points for the visiting Hawks.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (39) and Devin Booker (33) combined for 72 points as the Phoenix Suns crushed the Houston Rockets 127-91.
Brown headlines Pistons' struggles
The post-Andre Drummond error started with a loss for the Detroit Pistons and starter Bruce Brown was among those to struggle in the 108-101 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder. Brown was one of nine from the field for just four points in 33 minutes.
Only two Grizzlies starters reached double-digit points – Ja Morant (15) and Jonas Valanciunas (14, 10 rebounds). Jaren Jackson Jr. (six points), Dillon Brooks (nine points) and Kyle Anderson (six) struggled.
Russell Westbrook sat out and the Houston had a night to forget. While James Harden recorded 32 points, his Rockets team-mates struggled. Houston only made 29 of 85 shots at 34.1 per cent.
Beal with the game-winner!
Bradley Beal was the hero for the Washington Wizards, who stunned the Dallas Mavericks 119-118 at the buzzer.
Friday's results
Philadelphia 76ers 119-107 Memphis Grizzlies
Boston Celtics 112-107 Atlanta Hawks
Oklahoma City Thunder 108-101 Detroit Pistons
Toronto Raptors 115-106 Indiana Pacers
Washington Wizards 119-118 Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns 127-91 Houston Rockets
Sacramento Kings 105-97 Miami Heat
Utah Jazz 117-114 Portland Trail Blazers
Lakers at Warriors
The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers and in-form Raptors are in action on Saturday, however, all eyes will be on the Los Angeles Lakers. After being upstaged by the Rockets at Staples Center, LeBron James and the Lakers (38-12) travel to the lowly Golden State Warriors (12-40).
James was the game's top scorer with 19 points while six Jazz players hit double-figures, with Rudy Gobert and Jordan Clarkson dropping 18, and the NBA leaders raced away with this contest between two championship contenders.
Utah stormed to a 16-point half-time lead before restricting the Lakers to a season-low 17-point third quarter, and the hosts once again set the bar high from downtown, shooting 22 threes, including a franchise-high 14 in the first half.
The lifeless Lakers offered little resistance while slipping to their biggest loss of the season as the Western Conference leaders cruised to a 22nd win in 24 games.
The Jazz's league-leading 15-2 home record improves them to 26-6 overall.
With Anthony Davis joined by Dennis Schroder on the sidelines, Montrezl Harrell (16 points) and Markieff Morris (12 points) were the only other Lakers players to hit double-figures as their record fell to 22-11.
Gallinari writes Hawks and NBA history
Danilo Gallinari set an Atlanta Hawks franchise record of 10 three-pointers in the 127-112 win against the Boston Celtics.
The Italian veteran had the best shooting day of his career, burying 13 of his 16 attempts from the field, while putting up a personal-best 38 points.
Siakam ineffective for Raps
Pascal Siakam was only able to put up five points from his 24 minutes on court in the Toronto Raptors' 116-108 defeat by the Miami Heat.
The Raps center landed one of six field-goal attempts, sinking one of his three from distance and adding a pair of free throws, before being benched in the fourth quarter.
Dort beats the clock and comes up clutch
Luguentz Dort's three-point buzzer-beater earned the Oklahoma City Thunder a dramatic 102-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs, after a career-high 42 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Canadian becomes only the third player in franchise history to sink a game-winning three since the move to Oklahoma, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Wednesday's results
Atlanta Hawks 127-112 Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors 111-107 Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers 112-96 Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans 128-118 Detroit Pistons
Oklahoma City Thunder 102-99 San Antonio Spurs
Miami Heat 116-108 Toronto Raptors
Chicago Bulls 133-126 Minnesota Timberwolves
Charlotte Hornets 124-121 Phoenix Suns
Utah Jazz 114-89 Los Angeles Lakers
Pelicans at Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo has led the Milwaukee Bucks (19-13) to third in the east and they host the Zion Williamson-inspired New Orleans Pelicans (14-17) on Thursday.
Knicks All-Star Randle posted 33 points and 10 assists to lead the New York franchise to their sixth successive NBA win on Sunday.
Randle recorded his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points, becoming the first Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony in 2014 to accomplish the feat.
Reggie Bullock nailed a three-pointer for the Knicks with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation before the home team outscored Zion Williamson's Pelicans 19-9 in OT at Madison Square Garden.
Derrick Rose scored a season-high 23 points for the Knicks, who are in the midst of their longest winning streak since 2013-14 as they eye their first playoff appearance since 2013.
Williamson's 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals were not enough for the visiting Pelicans.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant suffered a left thigh contusion in the Brooklyn Nets' 109-107 loss away to the Miami Heat.
Durant – who only returned from a 23-game injury absence this month – left the game in the opening quarter, having gone three-for-three shooting to finish with eight points in four minutes.
Bam Adebayo (21 points and 15 rebounds) lifted the Heat with his buzzer-beating jump shot.
Hawks soar past Pacers
Clint Capela (25 points and 24 rebounds) and Trae Young (34 points and 11 assists) helped the Atlanta Hawks power to a 129-117 victory against the Indiana Pacers. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter contributed 23 points each for the Hawks, who have won eight of 10 games and are 17-6 under interim head coach Nate McMillan.
Kawhi Leonard returned from a four-game absence, tallying 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Los Angeles Clippers' 124-105 success at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Chris Boucher put up 31 points and 11 rebounds for the Toronto Raptors, who downed the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder 112-106 for a third consecutive win. Oklahoma City's Aleksej Pokusevski (six) became the first Thunder rookie with five-plus blocks in a game since Serge Ibaka in 2010.
The Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game skid behind Terry Rozier as his 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds saw off the Portland Trail Blazers 109-101.
De'Aaron Fox's 30 points and 12 assists guided the Sacramento Kings to a 121-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas All-Star Luka Doncic finished with a game-high 37 points.
Thunder continue to be silenced
The Thunder are now in the midst of a season-worst losing streak of 10 games after losing to the Raptors.
Josh Richardson struggled again for the Mavericks. He was just three-for-nine shooting, while making only one of his five three-point attempts for seven pints. Mavericks team-mate Tim Hardaway Jr. (eight points) finishing two-for-10 shooting.
Bridges goes bang!
Miles Bridges is becoming known for his slam dunks. The Hornets star produced another memorable dunk in the second quarter.
Sunday's results
Atlanta Hawks 129-117 Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks 122-112 New Orleans Pelicans (OT)
Miami Heat 109-107 Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets 109-101 Portland Trail Blazers
Houston Rockets 114-110 Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors 112-106 Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers 124-105 Minnesota Timberwolves
Sacramento Kings 121-107 Dallas Mavericks
Warriors at 76ers
Red-hot Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors (28-29) visit the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers (39-17) on Monday. The 76ers have won four straight games.
Green, 20, was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he is living up to the hype as one of the game's most electrifying young scorers.
Against the Timberwolves, Green shot 15-of-25 from the field and six-of-12 from long range for his 42 points, four rebounds, four assists with a steal and a block.
The performance came only two games after he tied his career-high 41 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, and he is now averaging a team-high 21.7 points per contest with 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
He was not the only young Rockets prospect to show why he is viewed as the future of the franchise, as center Alperen Sengun put together another complete performance in what has been the best month of his career.
Also in his second season after being drafted by the Rockets in 2021, Sengun had 21 points on eight-of-12 shooting while adding seven rebounds and seven assists. It is his playmaking that is the most notable aspect of his growth.
After averaging 2.6 assists per game as a rookie, and no more than 2.8 during the months of October, November and December, he has put together figures of 18.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists during his 11 games since the new year began, including a streak of seven consecutive performances with at least six assists.
Despite the win, the Rockets still own the worst record in the NBA at 11-36, and Houston fans will be desperate to add future number one draft pick Victor Wembenyama to their promising young core.
Bucks become fourth team to reach 150 this season
The Milwaukee Bucks had their biggest offensive explosion of the season as they erupted in a 150-130 demolition of the Detroit Pistons.
Despite the Pistons putting up 130 points of their own and the final score appearing competitive, the reality is they were never a chance as the Bucks opened up a 40-12 lead just eight minutes into the game.
Led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo's 29 points (eight-of-15 shooting), 12 rebounds and four assists, the Bucks tied for the league's second-highest score this season, trailing only the Sacramento Kings' 153-121 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in November.
Bulls make it three wins in a row
The Chicago Bulls tied their longest winning streak of the season as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 111-100 for their third in a row.
In a clash between two teams on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble it was DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic rising to the occasion on an inefficient night for the recently red-hot Zach LaVine.
DeRozan scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, adding six assists and three steals, while Vucevic grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds while also chipping in 14 points and seven assists.
The Bulls are now 22-24, one game behind the Hawks (24-24) in the East's eighth seed.
The Thunder triumphed 104-100 on Monday to force a decisive Game 7 in the Western Conference first-round playoff series, with the Rockets paying the price for committing 22 turnovers.
With the scores locked at 98-98 heading into the final two minutes, Russell Westbrook twice gave possession away, airballed a jump shot and sent Danilo Gallinari to the line for the final points of the game.
Westbrook missed the start of the series with a thigh injury and he confirmed he will remain on a minutes restriction in Game 7.
D'Antoni said: "It's tough to come back right in the middle of a series when you've been out for three weeks, and also the whole lay off. He's fine, we'll be fine.
"We played about as bad as we could play. We will have to do a better job the day after tomorrow.
"We are going to respond. We'll clean up some things. We can't play much worse, so we'll play better.
"We just weren't sharp, got a bit careless a few times and we paid for it.
"We had 22 turnovers. You can't have 22. You try to get less than 10 and 22 just sealed our fate.
"Then we had some fouls that weren't disciplined. We had reach-in fouls that put them to the line and let them score, so things we can correct and will."
Asked why turnovers became an issue for the Rockets when it had not been earlier in the series, Westbrook said: "That's just my fault, honestly. That's easy. Last game I had zero, tonight I had seven. As simple as that.
"We've gotta take care of it, starting with myself. Just trying to figure out rhythm and timing, but we'll figure it out next game."
James Harden accounted for five of Houston's turnovers, which he felt undid the strong defensive performance they put in.
"A lot of careless turnovers. Including myself. Just too many turnovers, especially in a playoff game – a closeout game – just gave them too many opportunities," said Harden.
"I think defensively we did a pretty good job with them only scoring 104 points. We just shot ourselves in the foot by turning the ball over and giving us less opportunities to score."
Silas was left distraught after Sunday's narrow 114-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders following a long-awaited victory over the Toronto Raptors the next day.
Houston were in the midst of a franchise-record drought – the Rockets' skid tied for the ninth-worst in NBA history and the longest since the Philadelphia 76ers' 28-game losing streak across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
But the Rockets recorded an overdue victory on Monday, celebrating their first win since February 4 behind John Wall's 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 117-99 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.
"It's like indescribable for a win in March of this crazy season," Silas said.
"I'm just so proud of the guys. When you're like going through it and fighting so hard and you just see the disappointment in the players' faces after loss after loss after loss.
"Then to go into the locker room after today's game and everybody's just happy and joyous, I mean, it's super cool and great.
"I was down and out yesterday. It seems like a week ago now. We regroup, we come together, and it feels a lot better just because I know it feels great for the players.
"Like, whatever for me, but I'm just so happy for those guys that they don't have to hear about it and deal with it."
The game saw Wall's first triple-double since March 2016 as the Raptors crashed to a ninth consecutive defeat – now the league's longest active losing run.
And Wall conceded it had been a tough spell to endure, one he was glad to see come to an end.
"Losing 20 straight, we haven't been healthy, but that's not an excuse because everybody's been going through health and safety protocols and injuries," he said.
"We just went out there and competed, no matter what and what was going on."
The deal will see center Derrick Favors head to the Rockets, along with Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Moe Harkless and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Thunder will in turn receive David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss from Houston.
It would mean the Thunder will have dropped roughly $10million below the luxury tax threshold, and both teams will have 18 guaranteed contracts on their rosters, which need to be reduced to 15 by October 17.
OKC only acquired Harkless and the 2025 draft pick in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Vit Krejci earlier this week, presumably with this deal in mind.
Of the players traded, only Maledon and Nwaba are under contract for the 2023-24 season, both with team options.
The Rockets get their pre-season under way on Sunday with a game against the San Antonio Spurs, while the Thunder face the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Harden reportedly wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he would reunite with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Kevin Durant and team up with Kyrie Irving.
Talk of Harden's future has been further amplified after Russell Westbrook was dealt to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall on Wednesday.
But first-year coach Silas, who replaced Mike D'Antoni, is confident regarding Harden in Houston.
"When stuff like this kind of happens where there's a little indecision and stuff going on, I kind of take a step back and allow guys some space," Silas told reporters on Thursday.
"From my perspective, my communication has been, 'I'm giving you space,' and that's kind of where it's been as far as my communication with him.
"Guys like that need that. They need to figure it out, and they don't need someone banging on them all the time to kind of figure out where they're at and whatnot."
Harden has called Houston home since 2012 and signed a contract extension through to the 2022-23 season in 2017, but the sharpshooter reportedly turned down a new deal and wants to leave the Rockets in pursuit of a maiden championship.
In 2019-20, points scored by Harden and points scored off his assists averaged 52.4 per game. It followed 53.9 in 2018-19, 51.3 in 2017-18 and 56 the season previous.
That marked four successive seasons with 50-plus points per game created, tying Oscar Robertson (1963-64 to 1966-67) for the longest streak in NBA history.
Harden averaged 34.3 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Rockets, who lost in the Western Conference semi-finals at Walt Disney World Resort.
"I'm confident that he'll be all-in," Silas said. "That's where I'm leaving it. As I said, I'm giving him his space to do his thing, but I'm confident that he'll be here when we get started."
Silas added: "Everybody is excited about the possibilities that we have. Us having multiple ways to play on both ends of the floor and having the talent of DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall and Christian Wood to meld with the previous guys that were on the team.
"James is going to have the ball a lot, like he has in the past. Like I said, we're not going to change things so drastically that the offense isn't going to be as effective as it has in the past.
"We're going to try to change things to make it a little bit more diverse, but he's going to have the ball quite a bit."
Harden reportedly wants to be traded to either the Philadelphia 76ers or another contender in the NBA, and the former MVP had a clear message after the Rockets were swept aside by defending champions the Lakers 117-100 on Tuesday.
The Rockets star walked out of his post-game news conference, not before telling the media: "I love this city. I literally have done everything that I can.
"This situation is crazy. It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
Led by Harden, the Rockets have reached two Western Conference Finals, while Houston have three semi-final appearances since the eight-time All-Star was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.
In 2019-20, points scored by Harden and points scored off his assists averaged 52.4 per game. It followed 53.9 in 2018-19, 51.3 in 2017-18 and 56 the season previous.
That marked four successive seasons with 50-plus points per game created, tying Oscar Robertson (1963-64 to 1966-67) for the longest streak in NBA history.
Harden averaged 34.3 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Rockets, who lost in the Western Conference semi-finals at Walt Disney World Resort.
But Harden looks out of shape and out of sorts in 2020-21 amid links to the likes of the 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.
Harden made just five of 16 shots from the field, while he only nailed one of his six three-point attempts for 16 points in 31 minutes as the Rockets slumped to 3-6.
"We're not even close, honestly, to that team – obviously the defending champions – and all the other elite teams out there," Harden said. "I mean, you can tell the difference in these last two games.
"We're just not good enough – chemistry, talent-wise, just everything. And it was clear these last two games."
Moments after Harden left the podium, Rockets team-mate John Wall stepped up and the five-time All-Star did not hold back as he addressed the situation in Houston.
"When you have certain guys in the mix who don't want to buy in, all as one, it's going to be hard to do anything special, to do anything good as a basketball team," said Wall, who was acquired by the Rockets after Russell Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards.
Wall added: "We can't dwell down on it because it's only been nine games. Come on man, you want to jump off a cliff after nine games. It's a lot of basketball still to be played."
Asked about his partnership with Harden on the court, Wall said: "I think it's been a little rocky. Can't lie about that. I don't think it's been the best it could be, to be honest. That's all I really could say."
The Rockets slumped to a third straight loss with a 108-99 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets.
James Harden had a triple-double of 30 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, but added 10 turnovers as Russell Westbrook missed the clash.
All five of the Hornets' starters managed double-digits in points, led by Terry Rozier's 24.
Even with Stephen Curry missing due to the flu, the Warriors upset the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114.
Damion Lee's 24 points helped the Warriors to just their 15th win of the season.
Wonderful Valanciunas, Love leads Cavs
Jonas Valanciunas' double-double of 27 points and 17 rebounds saw the Memphis Grizzlies past the Atlanta Hawks 118-101.
Kevin Love's 27 points helped the Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Denver Nuggets 104-102.
The Utah Jazz were too good for the Detroit Pistons 111-105 thanks to a 32-point haul from Bojan Bogdanovic.
Rockets struggle
With Westbrook sidelined, Houston needed a greater contribution from their starters. But three of them – Danuel House Jr., P.J. Tucker and Ben McLemore – went a combined three-of-12 from the field.
Morant magic
Ja Morant (24 points) helped the Grizzlies to their win.
Saturday's results
Charlotte Hornets 108-99 Houston Rockets
Utah Jazz 111-105 Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers 104-102 Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies 118-101 Atlanta Hawks
Golden State Warriors 118-114 Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings 123-111 Portland Trail Blazers
Lakers at Clippers
The Staples Center will host another blockbuster on Sunday. After beating the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers (48-13) face the Clippers (43-19).
Not since December 2018 had Wall played a game in the NBA – the star guard missing the last two seasons with injuries to his left Achilles tendon, left knee and left heel.
But Wall returned to the court on Friday after being dealt to the Rockets by the Washington Wizards.
Wall, who was traded by the Wizards along with a protected first-round pick for Russell Westbrook last week, posted 13 points in a 125-104 win over the Chicago Bulls.
"Tonight was just great to be back in an NBA game, period," said Wall, who was six-of-10 shooting against the Bulls in the absence of James Harden as the Rockets superstar reportedly seeks a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers or Brooklyn Nets.
Wall also had five rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 19 minutes of action away to the Bulls, after opening the game with an impressive layup.
"I just knew I was back," Wall said. "I know how much hard work I've been through the last two years. It was a surreal moment for me even though it was preseason."
DeMarcus Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Rockets in the offseason, had 14 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks during his 15 minutes.
"It's step by step with those guys," said first-year Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. "We really didn't know what to expect when those guys walked through the door, both of them coming off of injuries.
"They both played very well tonight. They both looked really good. They were fun. Hopefully, this is something we can build off of, but it's a day-by-day thing."
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Clippers topped city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers 87-81 – a warmup for their opening-night showdown on December 22.
NBA champions the Lakers were without star duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis for their preseason curtain raiser, while Montrezl Harrell had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds against former team the Clippers.
Paul George had 10 points in 14 minutes after signing a new max deal with the Clippers, and team-mate Kawhi Leonard finished with just three points.
The Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 116-112, the New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 90-84 and the Sacramento Kings fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 127-102.
Houston were in the midst of a franchise-record drought – the Rockets' skid tied for the ninth-worst in NBA history and the worst since the Philadelphia 76ers and their record-setting 28-game losing streak across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
But the Rockets recorded an overdue victory on Monday, celebrating their first win since February 4 behind Wall's 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
It was Wall's first triple-double since March 2016 as the Raptors crashed to a ninth consecutive defeat – now the league's longest active losing streak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out due to a sprained left knee, but the Milwaukee Bucks still routed the Indiana Pacers 140-113 in the absence of the two-time reigning MVP.
Jrue Holiday led the way with 28 points and 14 assists to guide the Bucks to a seventh consecutive victory at home to the Pacers.
Gobert enjoys career-high game
Rudy Gobert had 21 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks as the NBA-leading Utah Jazz eased past the Chicago Bulls 120-95. The All-Star became the first Jazz player to record nine-plus blocks in a game since Andrei Kirilenko in 2006. Gobert fell just short of becoming the first Jazz player to post a triple-double since 2008. Donovan Mitchell added 30 points for the visiting Jazz.
Luke Kennard was flawless in the Los Angeles Clippers' 119-110 win against the Atlanta Hawks. He was eight-of-eight shooting, while he also made all four of his three-point attempts for 20 points off the bench in 18 minutes. Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and Terance Mann contributed a season-high 21 points as the Clippers rallied from a 22-point deficit in the second half, snapping Atlanta's eight-game winning streak.
The Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-103 thanks to 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City set a season high with 21 three-pointers in just 37 attempts (56.8 per cent).
George struggles
The Clippers won but star Paul George struggled. In 33 minutes, George had eight points on just three-of-12 shooting. He was also just two-of-seven from three-point range.
Chris Boucher had a forgettable outing for the out-of-form Raptors. He was one-of-seven shooting, while missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc in a four-point display.
From inside his own half!
Danuel House Jr. nailed a stunning half-time buzzer-beater from beyond half court against the Raptors.
Monday's results
Sacramento Kings 119-105 Cleveland Cavaliers
Oklahoma City Thunder 112-103 Minnesota Timberwolves
Charlotte Hornets 100-97 San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz 120-95 Chicago Bulls
Houston Rockets 117-99 Toronto Raptors
Memphis Grizzlies 132-126 Boston Celtics (OT)
Milwaukee Bucks 140-113 Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers 119-110 Atlanta Hawks
76ers at Warriors
The Eastern Conference-leading 76ers (30-13) – riding back-to-back wins – travel to the Golden State Warriors (22-21) on Tuesday. Golden State will be without star Stephen Curry (back).
Harden has been at the Rockets since 2012 and signed an extension through the 2022-23 season in 2017.
But the 2018 NBA MVP has turned down a contract extension and made it clear he wants to be traded to the Nets, ESPN reported on Monday.
It says the Rockets pitched for Harden, 31, to sign an additional two years onto the three left on his deal.
If a trade eventuated, the blockbuster move would see Harden join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.
An eight-time All-Star, Harden was team-mates with Durant at the Oklahoma City Thunder between 2009 and 2012.
While Harden is still without an NBA title, Durant won two with the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Houston have made the playoffs in every season since Harden arrived in 2012-13, but have never been beyond the Western Conference Finals.
After rupturing his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant missed all of last season as the Nets went 35-37 before being swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
The Rockets, who did not disclose a reason for Harden's absence, posted a video on their Twitter feed of Harden arriving at the league's campus-like environment.
The six-time All-NBA selection and 2018 MVP will have to isolate and register multiple negatives tests for COVID-19 before he will be cleared to join his team-mates.
Harden's arrival comes one day after team-mate Russell Westbrook announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. Westbrook said he is "currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my team-mates when I am cleared".
Harden led the NBA with 34.4 points per game when the NBA season was paused on March 12.
Houston have clinched a playoff spot and are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for fifth place in the Western Conference, one game behind the Utah Jazz and 1.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Rockets are scheduled to resume their season on July 31 against Dallas.
Westbrook's status for the Rockets-Thunder playoffs matchup was already up in the air due to the 2017 MVP's strained right quadriceps.
The nine-time All-Star sat out the final seeding game against the Philadelphia 76ers, having missed the loss to the Indiana Pacers prior to the postseason starting in Orlando, Florida.
Asked about Westbrook prior to Game 1 against the Thunder at Walt Disney World Resort, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said: "Can't rule anything out, but don't rule anything in."
Westbrook, who posted 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Rockets' defeat against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, had previously felt discomfort in his right quad.
He sat out back-to-back games after feeling soreness during a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on August 4.
A blockbuster acquisition from the Thunder, Westbrook has been averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
The Rockets – seeded fourth in the Western Conference – are eyeing their third NBA championship and first since 1995.
Three-time NBA scoring champion Harden has linked up with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, who have gone all in on a championship run by bringing in the 2018 MVP.
The Nets gave up Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Caris LeVert, Radions Kurucs, three first-round draft picks (2022, 2024 and 2026) and four first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027) to acquire Harden.
Allen and Prince were sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who provided Houston with Dante Exum and a 2022 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn received a 2024 second-round pick from the Cavs to complete the deal.
The Rockets are expected to send LeVert and a 2023 second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo.
Harden requested a trade prior to the start of the season and following a 117-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday he said: "It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
The Rockets granted their franchise player his wish on Thursday and owner Tilman Fertitta praised him for his achievements in Houston.
"On behalf of the entire Rockets organisation and the City of Houston, I'd like to thank James Harden for an amazing eight-plus seasons in a Rockets uniform," said Fertitta in a statement.
"James has provided us with so many great memories as we've watched him grow from Sixth Man of the Year to a perennial All-Star and MVP.
"My family and I also want to thank James for his many off the court contributions, including generous charitable donations and multiple annual community events.
"We wish James the best of luck and will always be grateful for the memories."
Harden is second on the Rockets' all-time scoring list with 18,365 points, only trailing Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511) – a two-time NBA champion in Houston.
He averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists during his time with the Rockets.
Harden led them to the Western Conference Finals in 2014-15 and 2017-18, losing to the Golden State Warriors on both occasions.
Before committing to Udoka, the Rockets reportedly talked to the league office and the Boston Celtics about the circumstances surrounding the end of his tenure with the Celtics.
Udoka was fired last offseason after the Celtics discovered he was in an inappropriate relationship with a fellow team employee.
Best known in his playing days for his defensive stopper role with the San Antonio Spurs, Udoka’s only season of head coaching experience came in 2021-22, when he led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals appearance.
At the end of the regular season, the Rockets declined to pick up an option on the contract of Stephen Silas, officially opening a head coaching vacancy.
Silas had a combined record of 59-177 in his three seasons leading Houston through a full roster tear-down and rebuild.
The Rockets will be one of three teams with a 14-percent chance at landing the top overall pick in the 2023 draft as the team looks to build around a very young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason.
At full strength, the Rockets had the second-youngest starting lineup in the league this season, averaging 21 years and 147 days old.
After a pair of inefficient showings – going four-of-10 for his 10 points in the opener against the Orlando Magic and five-of-19 for 12 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder – Smith found his range against the Spurs.
He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one block as he displayed impressive defensive versatility, and he shot six-of-12 from the field, three-of-five from long range and four-of-five at the free throw line.
Smith, at six-foot-10 with a seven-foot-one wingspan, showed he can guard at least three positions, with only enormous centres and small, shifty point guards figuring to pose any threat to the smooth-moving wing.
He combined well at both ends with fellow first-round pick Tari Eason (17th selection) who shined with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals, hitting nine-of-16 from the field and two of his three attempts from range.
Spurs first-round picks Malaki Branham (20th selection) and Blake Wesley (25th selection) also both showed strong two-way games.
Branham scored a team-high 20 points on eight-of-18 shooting, and while Wesley was much less accurate (three-of-20 from the field for 14 points), he got to the free throw line (eight-of-nine), and collected team-highs in assists (four) and steals (three).
Immediately following that game was Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they beat the Orlando Magic 84-81 hours after it was announced the Magic's top pick Paolo Banchero would not participate in any more Summer League action.
While the Magic believe they have seen all they needed from Banchero, the Thunder are using Summer League to build chemistry between their young core, with second-year point guard Josh Giddey also suiting up again.
Holmgren led his team in points with 16 on seven-of-10 shooting, and rebounds with 10, while blocking two shots and dishing two assists.
Giddey's goal of becoming a more efficient scorer is still a work-in-progress, finishing three-of-11 from the field for his 12 points, but his all-round game continues to blossom as he posted eight assists and seven rebounds.
In another notable stat-line, the seven-foot-five Tacko Fall came off the bench for the Utah Jazz against the Dallas Mavericks and collected an outrageous 15 rebounds in 17 minutes, with 13 of his rebounds coming on the offensive end. He also scored 12 points and blocked three shots.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets dealt 2017 NBA MVP Westbrook for injury-hit five-time All-Star Wall and a first-round draft pick.
The shock trade comes amid uncertainty over Rockets superstar James Harden, who is reportedly eyeing a move to the Brooklyn Nets.
Westbrook reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden in Houston at the start of 2019-20, but his stint with the Rockets – who gave up Chris Paul, two protected first-round picks and other draft considerations – was short-lived.
In their first season back together in Houston, Harden and Westbrook became the first pair of team-mates in NBA history to average 25.0-plus points and seven-plus assists per game in the same season.
Westbrook averaged 27.2 points and seven assists per game for the Rockets, who had their 14th consecutive season at .500 or better but failed to reach the NBA Finals – the longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
But Westbrook's struggles were evident in the playoffs – shooting just 24.2 per cent from three-point range and 53.1 per cent from the free-throw line.
Westbrook was the first player in NBA history to shoot under 25 per cent from three and under 60 per cent from the line in a single postseason (minimum 30 attempts in both categories).
Houston had a 29-13 record when Westbrook shot less than five times from beyond the arc compared to 10-13 when attempting five or more.
Westbrook, meanwhile, has a career average of 19.6 points, 9.0 assists and 6.1 rebounds in Washington.
As for Wall, he has not played rupturing his left Achilles tendon in January last year, having initially undergone season-ending left heel surgery.
Wall, who has appeared in just 73 games since the start of the 2017-18 season, is fourth for career points for the Wizards after being drafted first by the Washington franchise in 2010.
Porter and his girlfriend were staying at the Millennium Hotel in New York, and per a police report, she was upset he returned early in the morning and locked him out of the room.
Porter was able to gain access to the room with the help of hotel security, and he then assaulted her, according to the report.
At 6:45 a.m., police responded to a 911 call accusing Porter of assault and after an investigation, the police arrested the 23-year-old with the felony charges of assault and strangulation.
"Upon arrival officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck," a police spokesperson said. "A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around the neck."
The woman, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
The Rockets issued a statement following the arrest to ESPN.
"We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.," the statement read. "We have no further comment at this time."
Porter was second on the Rockets in scoring last season with a career-high average of 19.2 points per game while averaging a team-best 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
He is entering his fifth season in the NBA and fourth in Houston after spending his 2019-20 rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Selected 30th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 draft, Porter was traded to the Cavs and sat out the beginning of the 2020-21 season following an investigation of a single-car crash.
Cleveland ended up trading him to Houston in January 2021 after he incited an outburst in the locker room with team officials.
