Chris Paul wants the Phoenix Suns to "keep this train moving" after they ended a five-match losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns stopped the rot on their travels on Thursday, seeing off the depleted Clippers 111-95.
Los Angeles were without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac as they were beaten in their own backyard.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, while Paul weighed in with 15 and also provided 13 assists in a win that moved them to 17-12.
Phoenix sit fourth in the Western Conference and point guard Paul is eager to get on a roll.
"I'm happy we finally got a win out of this road trip, and we're going to try to keep this train moving," he said.
Suns coach Monty Williams praised Bridges for the manner in which he responded to an off day against the Houston Rockets.
"He's a prideful player," Williams said. "He needed a forklift to get his lip off the ground the other night, he was so down about his performance.
"When he's shooting the ball like (tonight), we're a pretty good team."
The Clippers are 17-14 and occupy eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Tyler Herro was not thinking about earning a share of franchise history after another sensational display in the Miami Heat's 111-108 victory over the Houston Rockets.
A day after draining nine three-pointers against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Herro went one better against the Rockets on Thursday.
In doing so, Herro became just the fourth Heat player to land 10 threes in a game, the last to do so being Duncan Robinson in 2019.
Herro is only the third player to shoot at least nine threes in consecutive games, alongside Steph Curry and James Harden, and is the first to do it on back-to-back days.
"I didn't know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short," Herro said.
"I didn't have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get threes up. I think shooting more threes is helping."
Herro's tally of 41 was a career high, with 25 of those coming in the first half.
Aged 22 years and 329 days, Herro surpasses Dwayne Wade as the youngest Heat player to put up a 40-point game, while he is the first Miami star since LeBron James in 2014 to have at least 35 in consecutive outings.
Asked about Herro's threes heroics, head coach Erik Spoelstra said: "The last couple of games, that's been really the scheme against him. That's been open.
"But regardless, he's too good of a shooter for us to not take threes off the catch. He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities.
"He's just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch."
The Heat have won three straight games and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-15 record.
The Miami Heat needed a career night from Tyler Herro on Thursday to avoid becoming the Houston Rockets' third big-name scalp in a row.
Herro scored a game-high and career-high 41 points on 13-of-20 shooting, hitting 10-of-15 from three-point range in the 111-108 victory.
His All-Star teammate Jimmy Butler was terrific in a supporting role, chipping in 20 points (seven-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocks.
For the Rockets, who were coming into the game off consecutive wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, Jalen Green top-scored yet again with 22 points (eight-of-21), while Kevin Porter Jr was more efficient on his way to 21 points (10-of-17), five assists and four steals.
The Heat are now on a three-game winning streak to pull their record even at 15-15, and they have a golden opportunity to rise above .500 when they finish their four-game road trip on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Morant dominates the Bucks
The Memphis Grizzlies led by 46 points after three quarters of their blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks, allowing the starters to ride the bench down the stretch on the way to a 142-101 final score.
Last year's Most Improved Player, Ja Morant, was at the center of the Grizzlies' success with 25 points (nine-of-21), 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while eight Memphis players reached double-figures.
With the win, the Grizzlies improved their record to 19-9 and now sit alone atop the Western Conference.
Jazz fight off the Pelicans in overtime
The Utah Jazz continue to win at home, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129 to improve their record at Vivint Arena to 11-5 this season.
It is the second game in a row the Jazz have defeated the Pelicans after Tuesday's 121-100 triumph, with Jordan Clarkson proving the hero this time around.
Clarkson scored a season-high 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two steals, including the first four points of overtime after Pelicans youngster Trey Murphy III forced the extra period with a three-pointer in the dying seconds of regulation.
Clint Capela will miss one to two weeks after an MRI on Thursday revealed the Atlanta Hawks center had suffered a strained right calf in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.
Capela, 28, is currently third in the NBA for rebounds per game (12.0), and his 63.3 per cent field goal percentage is the seventh-highest mark in the league.
His injury adds to a troubling list for the Hawks, who have been without starting forward John Collins for the past seven games as he deals with an ankle injury, while starting guard Dejounte Murray has missed a week of action with his own ankle injury.
Franchise centerpiece Trae Young was also absent for Monday's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies due to lower-back tightness, but returned to the lineup for Wednesday's loss.
With Capela and Collins still out, it will be a real opportunity for former top-10 draft pick Onyeka Okongwu to play starter's minutes.
Okongwu, 22, is averaging 21 minutes per game and has only made three starts from his 28 appearances this season, but he boasts per-36 minute figures of 14.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
The Boston Celtics will welcome back their defensive anchor on Friday when Robert Williams III makes his season debut against the Orlando Magic.
Williams, 25, is coming off a breakout campaign where he started all 61 of his appearances, averaging the fourth-most blocks in the league at 2.2 per game.
With Williams protecting the rim, the Celtics emerged as the best defense in the NBA, conceding just 106.2 points per 100 possessions, although that number rose to 109.8 in the 21 games he missed.
For his stellar play, Williams was awarded a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, but he is yet to suit up this season as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left knee, having played through a torn meniscus in the playoffs.
His return will be a welcome addition for the Celtics, who have seen their defense fall to the eighth-ranked unit in the league in his absence, but have remained the best team in the NBA – based on both record (22-7) and net-rating (plus 7.0) – due to their top-ranked offense.
Without Williams, the Celtics have leaned into their three-point shooting. They are tied for the league-lead with 16.3 made three-pointers per game, so it remains to be seen how new head coach Joe Mazzulla will incorporate a non-shooter like Williams into his system and what effect he will have on the offense.
Los Angeles Clippers All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will both sit out Thursday's highly anticipated home game against the Phoenix Suns on the second night of a back-to-back.
The duo, who have a combined 11 All-NBA selections, both played in Wednesday's 99-88 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game where George posted his first triple-double in a Clippers uniform.
Leonard is yet to play in both legs of a back-to-back since returning from his long-term ACL injury, while George has played in all six games – including a back-to-back – since returning from his brief absence with a hamstring strain.
As a team, the Clippers sit sixth in the Western Conference with a 17-13 record, but they are 14-8 in games George is playing in, and an even more impressive 8-2 in games Leonard suits up for.
They will face a Suns team dealing with their own absences as starting center Deandre Ayton and backup point guard Cameron Payne are both out with injuries, as well as starting wing Cam Johnson, who has not played since November 4.
The Suns, at 16-12, are one spot ahead of the Clippers in the fifth seed, but are on a five-game losing streak after what was a promising 15-6 start to the campaign.
After this game, the Clippers should have their star tandem back for home games against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, before embarking on a five-game road trip.
Steph Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks" following his left shoulder injury sustained during the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The four-time NBA champion was set for an MRI following his exit from Wednesday's 125-119 defeat, after he was ruled out of the fourth quarter.
Curry had posted 38 points to spark a fightback from a 74-54 half-time deficit, but saw his side struggle and slip to another road loss in his absence.
Reports from ESPN now indicate the 34-year-old will be out for the immediate future and likely into the new year.
Curry injured himself attempting to strip Jalen Smith with just over two minutes left in the third quarter and will be a major loss for the Warriors.
They have picked up zero wins from three games in his absence so far this campaign, during which the point guard has averaged 29.6 points.
The Warriors stay on the road through to the festive period now for a four-game stretch, starting with a trip to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
They then return to Chase Center to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day, before rounding out the year with a further three games at home.
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