Klay Thompson returned from a two-game absence to score 39 points as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from their worst loss of the season to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Friday night.
Thompson sat out the 128-95 home defeat to the Boston Celtics earlier this week because of a knee problem but returned in inspired form as the top two teams in the Western Conference went head to head, shooting nine three-pointers.
Kevin Durant added 26 points and six assists while DeMarcus Cousins returned 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and three steals.
BACK-TO-BACK KLAY #SPLASH💦 📺 @NBCSAuthentic / @espn pic.twitter.com/sD5AvaYJPk — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 9, 2019
Terrence Ross scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 13 rebounds – his 48th double-double of the season – as the Orlando Magic won 111-106 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 15 points, moved up to third place in the all-time games played standings (1,505) in NBA history. The 40-year-old now has just Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) ahead of him.
James Harden recorded 31 points and added 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with a 107-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
RT for the MVP! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8JcPqQQqvA — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 9, 2019
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points to help the Toronto Raptors end a two-game losing run with a 127-104 win over New Orleans Pelicans. Kyle Lowry added a triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
Marvin Williams produced a season-high 30 points and career-high seven three-pointers as the Charlotte Hornets held on in the closing seconds for a 112-111 victory against the Washington Wizards.
Blake Griffin sunk 27 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, as the Detroit Pistons rallied from a 21-point deficit to down the Chicago Bulls 112-104 for their fourth straight win.
The T̶a̶k̶e̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ The Blakeover#PistonsNow x @RocketFiber pic.twitter.com/DTabbp9mqo — Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) March 9, 2019
Mike Conley returned 28 points and 11 assists and Jonas Valanciunas added 27 points as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Utah Jazz 114-104.
Lou Williams' 40-point haul helped the Los Angeles Clippers overcome the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-110 while the Miami Heat scored 10 straight in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 126-110 win.
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