The Houston Rockets returned to winning ways in the NBA last night in one of 10 games just hours after firing head coach Kevin McHale following four straight defeats.
With JB Bickerstaff in interim charge, Houston edged out the Portland Trail Blazers 108-103 in overtime and had Corey Brewer to thank for an off-balance three-pointer with 0.9s remaining that forced the extra period. James Harden had 45 points, including all nine in the overtime period, eight rebounds and 11 assists.
Harden's former teammate Russell Westbrook also had a 40-point outing for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they battled past the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans 110-103.
Westbrook finished with 43 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Thunder recovered from a sluggish start to inflict an 11th defeat in 12 games on the Pelicans, who were without four starters at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
There was also overtime at Amway Center and it was the hosting Orlando Magic who edged a back-and-forth contest with the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-101.
Evan Fournier, who finished with 26 points, hit a late three-pointer with 3.1s left to earn the win as Orlando completed a comeback after trailing by 14 at half time.
Both the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls were on three-game winning streaks entering the final match of the night, and Jimmy Butler's 32 points helped the Bulls preserve their run as they came out on top 103-97.
Butler scored 14 of his season-high total in the fourth quarter, stepping up in the absence of Derrick Rose, who was sidelined with an ankle injury.
The Philadelphia 76ers remain the league's only winless team after losing for the 12th time this season at home against the Indiana Pacers.
Paul George led the way with 34 points and eight rebounds as the Pacers cruised to victory. Including last season, it was Philly's 22nd straight regular-season defeat and they are six more losses away from tying the worst-ever start to an NBA season.
It is six straight wins for the San Antonio Spurs after they overcame the Denver Nuggets 109-98 at AT&T Center.
The Spurs never trailed as Tony Parker put up a season-high 25 points and dished out nine assists, while Denver rookie Nikola Jokic impressed off the bench with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Two in-form teams met at TD Garden and it was the visiting Dallas Mavericks who notched their fifth win in a row by rallying to beat the Boston Celtics 106-102.
The Mavs trailed by as much as 18 but fought back in the second half, with Dirk Nowitzki the game's top scorer with 23 points.
The Atlanta Hawks won for the first time in four and put an end to the Sacramento Kings' three-game winning streak at Philips Arena.
Paul Millsap, who finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, hit a crucial late floater to halt Sacramento's fightback as DeMarcus Cousins (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) put up big numbers for the visitors.
The Utah Jazz produced a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Toronto Raptors 93-89 and improve to 6-5.
Alec Burks scored nine points in the final frame as Toronto squandered a six-point lead with six minutes remaining to drop to 7-6.
Nicolas Batum was back on form as the Charlotte Hornets overcame the Brooklyn Nets 116-111 to return to .500 (6-6).
The Hornets' leading scorer was cold in defeat to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, but put up 24 points on 7-12 shooting, as well as dishing out eight assists, at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Results in full: Brooklyn Nets 111-116 Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves 101-104 Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers 112-85 Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks 106-102 Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings 97-103 Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers 103-108 Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans 103-110 Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets 98-109 San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors 89-93 Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls 103-97 Phoenix Suns
Pascal Lemesre
