James Harden scored 31 points, Eric Gordon chipped in 17 with five 3-pointers, and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with their 107-91 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers Friday. Harden added 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Rockets, who seized control with a 14-2 spurt midway through the first quarter. Philadelphia played its eighth consecutive game without All-Star center Joel Embiid (left knee), falling to 4-4 in that stretch. A combination of lethargic defense and errant shooting did the 76ers in, particularly early. While Houston rolled to a 37-point opening period on 56.5 percent shooting, Philadelphia missed all four of its 3-point attempts in the first quarter while shooting 10 of 24 (41.7 percent) overall. The 76ers' shooting did not improve throughout the course of the game, with Philadelphia finishing 3 of 26 from behind the arc while shooting 36.8 percent from the floor. Tobias Harris paced the 76ers with 22 points and nine rebounds. Warriors 122, Nuggets 105 Klay Thompson poured in 27 of his game-high 39 points in the first half Friday night, allowing Golden State to run away from Denver en route to a blowout win in Oakland. The win allowed the Warriors to increase their lead over the Nuggets atop the Western Conference playoff race to two games. Thompson sank 9 of 11 3-point attempts for Golden State, which also got 26 points from Kevin Durant. Malik Beasley and Monte Morris each scored 17 points to lead Denver. Clippers 118, Thunder 110 Lou Williams scored 40 points off the bench, and Los Angeles defeated visiting Oklahoma City to move into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference. Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 34 points and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who have won seven of nine. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before fouling out with 54 seconds left and the Thunder trailing by three points. Paul George scored 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting before fouling out with 3:49 left and the Thunder down a point. Raptors 127, Pelicans 104 Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and visiting Toronto pulled away from short-handed New Orleans in the second half of a blowout victory. Leonard scored 24 first-half points and finished 14 of 20 from the floor. Kyle Lowry added a triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds while Pascal Siakam scored 19 points. The Pelicans played without three starters. Jrue Holiday (abdominal strain) and E'Twaun Moore (quad contusion) were ruled out for at least a week to 10 days, and Anthony Davis was a last-minute scratch because of back spasms. Frank Johnson led New Orleans with 20 points. Hornets 112, Wizards 111 Marvin Williams erupted for a season-high 30 points and career-high seven 3-pointers as Charlotte held on in the closing seconds for a victory over visiting Washington. The Hornets won when Washington's Bradley Beal missed a drive in heavy traffic with three seconds remaining. Jeremy Lamb had given the Hornets a 112-111 lead on a 3-pointer with 51.5 seconds remaining. The Hornets had lost nine of their previous 12. Bobby Portis had 23 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wizards. Beal scored 15 points but hit just 4 of 21 field-goal attempts. Pistons 112, Bulls 104 Blake Griffin scored 27 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and visiting Detroit rallied from a 21-point deficit to down Chicago. Andre Drummond recorded his 11th 20-20 game this season with 20 points and 24 rebounds as the Pistons won for the 11th time in 13 games. Reggie Jackson supplied 21 points, Langston Galloway added 15 and Luke Kennard chipped in 14. Detroit outscored Chicago 43-24 in the decisive fourth quarter. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 24 points, Otto Porter Jr. supplied 23 points and eight assists while Lauri Markkanen added 18 points. Chicago had three starters in double figures by halftime in racing to a 66-49 halftime lead before being outscored 63-38 in the second half. Heat 126, Cavaliers 110 Dwyane Wade sparked a third-quarter run, and Miami scored 10 straight in the fourth quarter to pull away for a win over visiting Cleveland. Magic 111, Mavericks 106 Terrence Ross scored 22 points in his return from a one-game absence caused by a sore left Achilles as host Orlando beat Dallas. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 15 points, moved past John Stockton for third place all-time in games played (1,505) in NBA history. The 40-year-old trails only Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560). Grizzlies 114, Jazz 104 Mike Conley scored 28 points and dished out 11 assists, and Jonas Valanciunas added 27 points as host Memphis defeated Utah. — Reuters
