The Golden State Warriors tied the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second-longest winning streak in NBA history by defeating the Indiana Pacers 131-123 for their 27th straight regular-season success in one of six games on Tuesday night.
The Warriors extended the best-ever start to a season to 23-0 and are now six more wins from tying the all-time winning streak of the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
The reigning champions scored 111 points after just three quarters, sparked by Klay Thompson's season-high 39 points, which included 10 three-pointers and eight in the first half alone. Indiana produced a fourth-quarter fightback to cut the gap, but the Warriors held on.
At Quicken Loans Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers' recent slump came to an end as they earned a first win in four by fighting back to overcome the Portland Trail Blazers 105-100.
LeBron James led the fightback with 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs overturned an 18-point first-half deficit. Damian Lillard also had 33 in defeat for Portland.
Kevin Durant was on form as the Oklahoma City Thunder hammered the Memphis Grizzlies 125-88 at FedExForum.
The former MVP scored 32 points on 11-14 shooting to go with 10 rebounds as the Thunder improved to 13-8 and cemented their place in third in the Western Conference.
The Brooklyn Nets pulled off a surprise victory by downing the Houston Rockets 110-105 at Barclays Center.
Houston had won three in a row, but toiled throughout as Brook Lopez top-scored for the hosts with 24 points. Marcus Thornton scored a season-high 32 on 12-18 shooting for the Rockets, but stars James Harden and Dwight Howard struggled.
Despite making only one of 16 three-point attempts, the Orlando Magic beat the Denver Nuggets 85-74 for their third win in four away games.
Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton both scored 18 for Orlando as they improved to 12-9 in the Eastern Conference playoff places.
In the final game of the night, the Sacramento Kings ended their three-game skid with a 114-106 success over the Utah Jazz.
DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay both put up 23 points, while Omri Casspi contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Results in full: Portland Trail Blazers 100-105 Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors 131-123 Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets 105-110 Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder 125-88 Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic 85-74 Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz 106-114 Sacramento Kings
Pascal Lemesre
