James Harden recorded a 40-point triple-double and Clint Capela won the matchup of talented bigs as the Houston Rockets rolled to a 118-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night in Houston.
Harden posted 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and intermittently carried the Rockets when things went awry.
Capela added 30 points and 14 rebounds to outpace 76ers center Joel Embiid (20 points, 12 boards) and help send Philadelphia to its fourth consecutive defeat since a Christmas Day blistering of the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Harden was spectacular throughout, converting 6 of 12 3-pointers while finishing 12-for-12 at the free-throw line.
Los Angeles Lakers 123 - New Orleans Pelicans 113
Anthony Davis scored 46 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, leading Los Angeles to a victory over visiting New Orleans.
Davis, who scored 41 points in the Lakers' win over the Pelicans in their initial meeting on Nov. 27, hit 15 of 21 shots and made all 13 of his free throws as the Lakers won their fourth consecutive game. Danny Green, who made 6 of 10 3-pointers for the game, had 20 of his 25 points in the first half, and LeBron James finished with 17 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for Los Angeles.
Lonzo Ball had 23 points and Brandon Ingram had 22 for the Pelicans, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. E'Twaun Moore added 16 points, Derrick Favors had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and JJ Redick contributed 14 points for New Orleans.
Orlando Magic 105 - Miami Heat 85
Reserve guard Terrence Ross scored a game-high 25 points -- including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers -- to lead host Orlando to a win over Miami.
Nikola Vucevic added 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Orlando, which improved to 9-4 against its in-state rivals since the start of the 2016-2017 season. The Magic also got 16 points and eight rebounds from forward Aaron Gordon, who missed Orlando's two previous games due to a foot injury.
Miami was led by shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who had 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Heat center Bam Adebayo added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Boston Celtics 109 - Atlanta Hawks 106
Daniel Theis blocked a potential go-ahead basket by Trae Young with 2.7 seconds remaining as Boston held off visiting Atlanta.
Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead all five starters scoring in double figures for the Celtics, who won for the seventh time in their last eight games. Enes Kanter chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Boston, which played without Kemba Walker (flu).
Young had 28 points and 10 assists in his return from a two-game absence with a sprained ankle, Kevin Huerter scored 17 and John Collins was at 16 before exiting in the third with a back contusion for the Hawks, who have dropped 11 of 12.
Portland Trail Blazers 122 - Washington Wizards 103
Damian Lillard scored 35 points, CJ McCollum added 24, and Portland snapped a five-game losing skid with a win over host Washington.
The Wizards came into Friday's game without All-Stars John Wall (Achilles) and Bradley Beal (leg). Jordan McRae came off the bench and matched Lillard's game high with 35 points, Garrison Mathews added 18 points and Ish Smith finished with 16 points, all contributing to a 76-19 advantage in bench scoring for Washington. Portland's starters posted a more lopsided edge, however, outscoring their counterparts 103-27.
Lillard and McCollum led four Trail Blazers starters scoring in double figures, joined by Carmelo Anthony with 16 and Hassan Whiteside with 23. Whiteside also grabbed 21 rebounds. Mario Hezonja made it five Trail Blazers in double digits with 10 points.
Phoenix Suns 120 - New York Knicks 112
Devin Booker scored a game-high 38 points -- his franchise record-tying fifth straight 30-point game -- as host Phoenix mounted a fourth-quarter comeback and pulled away from New York.
The Suns, who have won three of four, outscored the Knicks 37-25 in the fourth quarter. New York had its season-high three-game winning streak snapped.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 29 points for the Suns and Aron Baynes posted a double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds). Marcus Morris Sr. led the Knicks with 25 points while Bobby Portis added 20 off the bench.
--Field Level Media