LeBron James broke the NBA record for consecutive games scoring at least 10 points and added 17 more as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 107-102, on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
It was the 867th consecutive regular-season game in which James has scored at least 10 points, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan for the longest such streak in NBA history. The streak began Jan. 5, 2007. The record will stand for at least several years because the next closest active streak belongs to Houston's James Harden (258 after Friday's game against Phoenix ).
Jordan Clarkson added 23 points and Rodney Hood scored 16 for the Cavaliers, who maintained their hold on third place in the Eastern Conference. They stayed a half-game ahead of Philadelphia, which beat Atlanta, 101-91, and moved a game in front of idle Indiana.
Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 25 points, Nikola Mirotic added 20, Anthony Davis scored 16 and Darius Miller had 11.
Rockets 104, Suns 103
Gerald Green drilled a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Houston extended its winning streak to 11 games with a victory over Phoenix at Toyota Center.
Rookie Josh Jackson sank a pull-up jumper with 1.4 seconds left to push Phoenix back in front after Rockets guard James Harden hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 12.2 seconds left. Harden had been 0-for-7 from behind the arc before momentarily knotting the score at 101.
After Jackson scored the last of his team-high 27 points, Green took the inbounds pass from Trevor Ariza and buried his jumper in front of the Houston bench. He was mobbed by teammates as game officials reviewed the shot. The Rockets completed an unbeaten homestand and extended their winning streak at Toyota Center to 18 games.
Nuggets 126, Thunder 125 (OT)
Paul Millsap scored a season-best 36 points on 13-of-18 shooting and collected nine rebounds as Denver notched a crucial victory over Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists as the Nuggets finished 3-4 on a seven-game road trip. Will Barton added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Jamal Murray scored 15 points and Devin Harris added 12.
Russell Westbrook had 33 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds but was just 12-of-32 shooting for Oklahoma City. Carmelo Anthony contributed 23 points and nine rebounds, Jerami Grant added 16 points off the bench, but Paul George tallied just 13 points for the Thunder.
Timberwolves 93, Mavericks 92
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points and added 20 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford poured in 24 points, including two baskets in the final 50.1 seconds, as Minnesota outlasted Dallas at the American Airlines Center.
The Timberwolves (44-33) are deep in the hunt for the playoffs, and the win on Friday allowed them to leapfrog New Orleans into sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
Dallas (23-53) has already been eliminated from postseason consideration and is assured of having its fewest wins in a season since it won just 19 games in the strike-shortened 1998-99 campaign.
Jazz 107, Grizzlies 97
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and Dante Exum added a season-high 21 points off the bench to lead Utah to a victory over Memphis at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.
Joe Ingles tallied 17 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for the Jazz. Utah snapped a two-game home losing streak and shot 40-of-74 (54.1 percent) from the field.
Marc Gasol scored 28 points on 11-of-12 shooting and MarShon Brooks added 24 off the bench to lead the Grizzlies. The loss to Utah snapped a two-game winning streak for Memphis.
76ers 101, Hawks 91
Playing without All-Star Joel Embiid, Philadelphia blew open a close game in the third quarter and coasted to a win over Atlanta at Philips Arena.
Embiid didn't make the trip after suffering a concussion and an orbital fracture when he collided with teammate Markelle Fultz Wednesday night in a 118-101 win over New York. Embiid is expected to be out 2-4 weeks, meaning the earliest he could return would be for Philadelphia's playoff opener.
In Embiid's absence, the 76ers turned to balanced scoring and defense to notch their 45th win. Six players finished in double figures, led by Ersan Ilyasova with 21 points and J.J. Redick with 19. Ilyasova added 16 rebounds for a double-double.
Bulls 90, Magic 82
Lauri Markkanen and Sean Kilpatrick each scored 13 points, and Chicago snapped a seven-game losing streak with a victory over Orlando at Amway Center.
Cameron Payne added 11 points, and Cristiano Felico grabbed 16 rebounds for the Bulls, who completed the season sweep of the Magic and continued their dominance over Orlando with their 15th win in the last 21 meetings.
Aaron Gordon scored 18 points, and Nikola Vucevic scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Magic, who went 2-5 on their seven-game homestand, which came to a close Friday.