No De'Aaron Fox, no worries for the Sacramento Kings, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 on the road to improve their record to 14-10.
Fox leads the Kings in scoring at 22.8 points per game and could be on track for his first All-Star appearance, but he missed just his second game of the season on Friday with right foot soreness.
His absence was balanced out by the Cavaliers missing Donovan Mitchell, but with the Cavaliers still rolling out All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, as well as Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley, they still had more than enough firepower.
But, lacking a true number-one scoring option, the Kings turned the contest into a slow, low-scoring grind, relying on excellent outside shooting to maximise their limited possessions and pull away with a 27-15 fourth quarter, including a 19-0 run to end the game.
Four of the Kings starters scored at least 18 points each, with Harrison Barnes' 20 points finishing as a team-high, while Domantas Sabonis played a superb all-round game to post 18 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
As a team, Sacramento shot 16-of-33 (48.5 per cent) from three-point range, and six of those makes came from rookie Keegan Murray, scoring all 18 of his points from beyond the arc on just eight attempts.
Speaking after the game, head coach Mike Brown spoke about how it feels to take a road win against the team sitting third in the Eastern Conference.
"That was a big, big, big-time win for us," he said. "When you get a win like that on the road, that’s a sign you have a really good team.
"Now, I hope I’m not jumping the gun on that, but this was my favourite game of the season."
Harrison Barnes added: "To come here after losing to Milwaukee, we kind of wanted to make a statement – and we did."
The Kings have now won 11 of their past 15 games, and have a chance to break into the top-four in the Western Conference if they can handle their business in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving eclipsed 30 points each in the Brooklyn Nets' 120-116 home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
It was also the return of Ben Simmons after a five-game stint on the sidelines, starting and contributing six points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in 21 productive minutes.
Durant top-scored with 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting, while Irving was just as good, scoring 33 on 11-of-21 shooting while chipping in 11 rebounds.
Mostly known for his offense, Durant blocked two shots, raising his season average to 1.7 per game – the eighth-best figure in the league.
Trae Young was solid for the Hawks with 33 points (12-of-25 shooting) and nine assists, but he committed a game-high eight turnovers. He is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 25 points (27.2) and nine assists (9.5).
With the win, the Nets have now taken six of their past seven, improving their record to 15-12 after starting the season 1-5.
Pelicans stay top of the West
Entering the game as the top two teams in the Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans rode a terrific Zion Williamson performance to a 128-117 win against the Phoenix Suns.
Williamson was unstoppable offensively, scoring a game-high 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four assists. Of his 20 games this season, it is the ninth time he has scored at least 25 points on 60 per cent shooting.
There are 14 players shooting 59 per cent or better from the field this season, and of those, only Anthony Davis is averaging more field goal attempts per game (17.5) than Williamson's 15.4.
Embiid's early dominance almost goes to waste
Joel Embiid tied the Los Angeles Lakers' whole team in the first quarter with 20 points each, but the Philadelphia 76ers needed an overtime period to come away with a 133-122 win.
Embiid was eight-of-nine from the field in the first quarter for his 20 points, going on to finish with 38 on 14-of-19 shooting, 12 rebounds and five assists. Teammate De'Anthony Melton helped out with a career-high 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting, hitting eight of his 12 three-point attempts.
Anthony Davis continued his strong form with 31 points (nine-of-13 shooting) and 12 rebounds, but he missed a potential go-ahead free throw in the final seconds, before the Lakers were outscored 13-2 in overtime.
Julius Randle looks back to his best as he led the New York Knicks to a 121-102 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday for his side's third consecutive win.
Randle, 28, is slowly rediscovering the form that saw him named to the All-NBA Second Team for the 2020-21 season, rebounding from a slow start to this campaign.
After averaging 18.3 points on 43.8 per cent shooting in October, Randle raised that to 22.2 points per game at 47.1 per cent shooting in November, before taking another step forward in the Knicks' current December winning streak.
In the Knicks' three wins this month, Randle is averaging 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 47.2 per cent from the field and 37.0 per cent from deep on a gaudy nine attempts per contest.
He had a game-high 33 points against the Hornets, hitting four-of-10 from three-point range, while R.J. Barrett produced an efficient 26 points (nine-of-18 shooting) and Jalen Brunson set it all up with 11 points and 11 assists.
Speaking to the media after the game, Barrett kept it short and to the point when hyping up Randle.
"He's cooking," he said. "We need him to keep doing that."
Head coach Tom Thibodeau was willing to expand further on what exactly has changed in Randle's play, and he pointed to his overall effort, including the plays that do not make the highlight reel.
"[Randle] had a play where he was behind the play, beat everyone down the floor, pulled everyone in, and we ended up getting a three on it," he said. "There’s no stat for that, other than it helps you create rhythm for your team.
"He’s made several plays like that when he’s getting double-teams, getting off the ball, moving without the ball, he’s screening off the ball. He’s playing a great all-around game.
"I think that helps set the tone for the team. I thought we played very unselfishly."
Randle believes his terrific form is primarily about his mindset.
"I'm just being aggressive and taking what the defense is giving me," he said. "I'm playing with confidence.
"It's a lot of fun and everybody is in a rhythm. The energy is contagious."
The Knicks have now pulled their record even at 13-13, and are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Utah Jazz will receive a boost for Friday's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the form of Mike Conley Jr's return from a nine-game injury absence.
Conley, 35, has not played since November 19, when he left the floor against the Portland Trail Blazers after only playing nine minutes, going on to be diagnosed with a strained muscle near his left knee.
An All-Star in 2021, Conley is posting his lowest point average (10.2 per game) since his rookie season, although his 7.9 assists per game is a new career-high in his 16th campaign.
Speaking to reporters after Friday's shootaround, he implied he was not yet at full capacity, but that the only way he is going to get to that point is by returning to game-speed.
"I've been working, and we're still working through some things, but the only way to get through it is to kind of work your way back in it and test the water," he said.
After trading away franchise players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, it was meant to be a rough rebuilding year for the Jazz, but they have defied expectations up to this point and sit sixth in the Western Conference at 15-13.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have given their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell the night off Friday, opting to rest the three-time All-Star against the Sacramento Kings on the first night of a home back-to-back.
Mitchell has been nursing an ankle injury for weeks after initially spraining it against the Golden State Warriors on November 11, before tweaking it again on November 28 against the Toronto Raptors.
He missed one game following the Warriors injury, and did not miss any time following the aggravation against the Raptors, averaging 33.3 points per game in the Cavs' three contests leading up to Friday.
But after listing him as questionable for the meeting against the Kings, Cleveland have opted to play it safe and give their new superstar a rest day. Mitchell will likely return for Saturday's home fixture against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suiting up for 23 of the Cavs' 25 games this season, Mitchell's 29 points per game is the seventh-highest figure in the league, and a new career-high after being traded from the Utah Jazz in the offseason for a bevy of draft picks.
His 42.4 per cent three-point shooting on 9.1 attempts per game has him as one of the league's best shooters this season, as only Stephen Curry (43.2 per cent on 11.8 attempts) is eclipsing 40 per cent on at least nine attempts per game.
Starting in his place will be Caris LeVert, who is averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in his 14 starts this campaign, while All-Star point guard Darius Garland will be tasked with an increased scoring burden.
Jamal Murray earned plaudits for his "complete basketball game" after hitting the last-gasp three-pointer that earned the Denver Nuggets a 121-120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The impressive road win saw the Nuggets improve to 15-10 for the season and halt a streak of three defeats.
Murray's step-back game-winner came with less than a second remaining, capping a 21-point game, two nights after he shot just 2-of-11 from the field against the Dallas Mavericks.
Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic was also a force for the Nuggets with 33 points (14-of-25), 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Damian Lillard scored a game-high 40 points for Portland.
Lillard put the home team two points ahead with a stunning three-pointer with nine seconds remaining, but Murray brought the late twist.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said: "It was great to see Jamal find his rhythm. Coming off a game against Dallas where I think he was really frustrated with his offense, not making shots the way he knows he's capable of making shots.
"I started him in that fourth quarter, and I was planning on taking him out to bring him back, but once Jamal sees the ball go in it doesn't take many for him to catch fire, and he ran the whole fourth quarter, obviously. [He had] 21 points, eight assists, only two turnovers, five rebounds – a complete basketball game.
"It was an understatement to say a much-needed win after losing three in a row. I thought our fourth-quarter defense was outstanding, 21 points allowed. As I told our players, when we don't turn the ball over and we defend, we're a really good team. Now the challenge is to do that a lot more consistently. A lot of guys stepped up and played well."
DeAndre Jordan played the 1,000th game of his NBA career, and Malone paid tribute to that achievement, saying of the 34-year-old center: "I'm really thankful that he's here and a part of our family."
Murray, meanwhile, felt the Trail Blazers, who dominated the third quarter 35-26, were brilliantly reined in by the Nuggets in the closing stages.
He told Altitude TV: "They came out hot in the second half, but we knew if we wanted to win the game we had to play defense together as a unit, especially with this crowd, so I think we did a good job of that.
"Dame got hot. It was our defense down the stretch. We were able to stay together, keep our unit together and get some stops down the stretch.
"We know they're going to make shots, especially on their home floor. We couldn't get down on ourselves and keep that negative energy. Go to the next play and figure it out."
Bam Adebayo said the Miami Heat were determined to "dig ourselves out of a hole" after his starring role lit up a 115-110 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Heat center put in a dominant 31-point performance in Thursday's success that followed two defeats in a row for Miami, who are 12-14 for the season and 10th in the Eastern Conference.
As they look to put together a run of healthy results, Adebayo said it would need to be a collective effort by the team to achieve their goals.
He told Bally Sports in an on-court interview: "We're trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. The biggest thing is we stand connected, stand together, and we keep waking up trying. We wake up and try to find solutions every day."
Adebayo weighed in with 10 rebounds and four assists, shooting 14-of-21 from the field, while the Heat got the job done from 87-84 behind going into the fourth quarter.
After failing to reach the 30-point mark in each of his first 13 games this season, Adebayo has now reached that figure in four of his past 11 outings, raising his season average to a career-high 21.2 points per game.
The 25-year-old said: "My team-mates want me to be assertive. They want me to look for my shots. They're finding me in the pocket. The biggest thing I can do is keep shooting."
Asked about the key to seeing out victory over the Clippers, who sit ninth in the Western Conference, gave credit to Jimmy Butler, who made 10 of his 12 field attempts on his way to 26 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.
"We gave Jimmy the ball," said Adebayo. "He's our closer, so we let him do his thing down the stretch."
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