James Harden scored at least 30 points for a 26th straight game as the Houston Rockets beat Utah Jazz 125-98.
The shooting guard scored 29 of his 43 points by half-time and surpassed the 30-point marker with a driving floating jump shot in the third quarter.
The reigning MVP's hot streak is the third longest in NBA history and also helped the Rockets snap a two-game losing streak.
RT for The MVP! 43PTS / 5AST / 12 REB / 4BLK / 6STL#TheUnguardableTour pic.twitter.com/tWjI6qgbC9 — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 3, 2019
Harden also had five assists, 12 rebounds, four blocks and six steals, while Donovan Mitchell had to settle for a top score of 26 points for Utah.
The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, struggled without LeBron James, losing 115-101 against the Golden State Warriors, with their star man rested after returning from a lengthy injury on Thursday night.
Klay Thompson was back on court after missing one game due to illness and finished with 28 points, two assists and five rebounds.
Steph's behind-the-back dish to Klay gets the Assist of the Night, presented by @StateFarm 👌 pic.twitter.com/8km9nXLNQW — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 3, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 17 free throws to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 131-115 win over the Washington Wizards.
Antetokounmpo finished with 37 points as the Wizards wrapped up their third straight win and ninth in 10 games, keeping them top of the Eastern Conference.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double – the 25th of his career – with 13 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets edged out the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-106.
Luka Doncic tied for a season-best 35 points to push the Dallas Mavericks to a 111-98 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers, while John Collins also matched a career-high 35 points as the Atlanta Hawks condemned the Phoenix Suns to a 10th straight defeat with a 118-112 victory.
The Greek Freak set a franchise record for most free throws without a miss tonight, going 17-17 from the line!!#FearTheDeer | #Giannis pic.twitter.com/e0wvSJvGb1 — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 3, 2019
Lou Williams rallied in the fourth for the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 16 straight points on the way to a 111-101 win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Indiana Pacers used a third-quarter surge to down the Miami Heat 95-88, while Kemba Walker scored 15 fourth-quarter points as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 125-118.
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs saw off the New Orleans Pelicans 113-108, the Orlando Magic defeated the Brooklyn Nets 102-89 and the Sacramento Kings toppled the Philadelphia 76ers 115-108.
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'a556f847-6d02-4fb6-b638-5c6e37e418aa');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:basketball,sport:other');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'James Harden puts in another fine performance for Houston Rockets'});
