Tyrese Maxey erupted for a career-high 50 points as the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers extended their winning streak to eight games with Sunday's 137-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Maxey finished 20 of 32 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range to help Philadelphia remain unbeaten since a season-opening loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 26. The fourth-year guard added five assists and blocked three shots in a superb all-around effort.

Joel Embiid contributed 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, though the reigning NBA MVP yielded the spotlight on this night to teammate Maxey, who scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers prevail after Indiana grabbed a 105-104 lead with 10 1/2 minutes left.

The 76ers went ahead for good with a 10-2 run that put them up 114-107 with under seven minutes remaining.

Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points and 17 assists for the Pacers, who entered the contest on a three-game winning streak. Myles Turner recorded 22 points in defeat.

Surging Rockets down champion Nuggets for sixth straight win

Fred VanVleet had 26 points and the Houston Rockets overcame another dominant performance from Nikola Jokić in a 107-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets that extended their winning streak to six games.

Alperen Sengun added 23 points and eight rebounds as the upstart Rockets recorded their longest stretch of consecutive wins since a six-game run from Jan. 22-Feb. 2, 2021. Houston went just 22-60 in 2022-23, tied for the second-lowest win total in the NBA last season. 

The Rockets had to withstand Jokic's fourth triple-double of the season, as the two-time league MVP racked up season highs of 36 points and 21 rebounds along with 11 assists.

Reigning NBA champion Denver had cut a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit down to one when Jokic's 3-pointer with 19.5 seconds left brought the Nuggets within 103-102. VanVleet then made two free throws on the ensuing possession, and Denver then turned it over before Jalen Green went 1 of 2 from the foul line to give Houston a four-point advantage with 9.1 seconds remaining. 

Michael Porter Jr. had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Denver lost for only the second time in 10 games this season. The Nuggets had won four straight coming in.

Timberwolves get past Warriors to extend winning streak

The Minnesota Timberwolves are also on a six-game winning streak following their 116-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors behind Anthony Edwards' 33 points and seven assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 21 points and 14 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 7-2 and deal Golden State a third consecutive defeat.

The Warriors got 38 points from Stephen Curry but had an overall off-shooting night, connecting on just 12 of 43 attempts (27.9 per cent) from 3-point range.

Minnesota, on the other hand, shot 66.7 per cent from the field in the third quarter and outscored the Warriors by a 35-22 margin for the period to build an 89-73 lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves maintained a double-digit advantage into the final minute.

The game was the first of two straight meetings between the teams in San Francisco, where the Warriors will host Minnesota again Tuesday.