Championship contenders move to 11-0 for the season at home.
It was a busy night on the NBA schedule on Friday night, with no less than 13 games to provide their fair share of highlights, upsets and comprehensive wins.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are firmly in their early season stride as Kevin Durant (31 points, eight rebounds and five assists) and Russell Westbrook (19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds) led them to a 122-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following their latest win, the Thunder are now 11-0 at home for the season, and have now won four straight over the Lakers who remain winless since the return of Kobe Bryant.
However, for all the criticism of Oklahoma City and coach Scott Brooks for their over-reliance on Durant and Westbrook, the championship contenders have perhaps turned a corner this year as they are getting good production off two other individuals.
Serge Ibaka had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, while Reggie Jackson scored 19 as he begins to mature into a possible replacement for James Harden in terms of an efficient scoring option off the bench.
“We have a pretty good team,” Brooks told reporters. “That’s been the case for a while now. One of the things that I tell the guys, every season has its own identity.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers extended their own home run to a franchise-best 11-0 start to the season with a win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.
Despite an off night from Paul George, Lance Stephenson had 20 points and 11 rebounds while Roy Hibbert was a dominant presence inside with 18 points and 11 boards.
Indiana are now 20-3 for the season and have further extended their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference over rivals Miami Heat, and look to be on course for a franchise best season.
Elsewhere in the East, the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics for the second time this week while the Brooklyn Nets saw their mini-revival ended by the Detroit Pistons with Brook Lopez missing through injury.
Perhaps the pick of the late-starting games was the Houston Rockets at the Golden State Warriors, with James Harden scoring 26 points and providing nine assists in the 116-112 win as the visitors overcame the possible fatigue after playing in Portland on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs kept the pressure on the Trail Blazers at the top of the West with a 117-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as Tony Parker scored 29 points.
NBA Results:
Charlotte Bobcats 94-99 Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers 109-100 Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers 100-108 Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards 99-101 Atlanta Hawks
New York Knicks 86-90 Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets 99-103 Detroit Pistons
Memphis Grizzlies 98-104 New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Lakers 97-122 Oklahoma City Thunder
Chicago Bulls 91-90 Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves 110-117 San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz 103-93 Denver Nuggets
Sacramento Kings 107-116 Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets 116-112 Golden State Warriors
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