Kevin Durant contributed 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Golden State Warriors held off a late rally from the Dallas Mavericks to prevail 120-116.
The Warriors seemed to be cruising when they pulled away from their opponents in the final quarter, stretching their lead into double figures by the halfway point.
Dallas came charging back and brought the deficit down to a single point, but a clutch three-pointer from Durant with around 15 seconds remaining settled matters.
KEVIN 💀 There's something about that spot... 📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/p4sN4v3ldO — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 23, 2018
Jonas Jerebko and Steph Curry poured in 23 and 22 points respectively at Oracle Arena, while Wesley Matthews' 25-point haul was in vain for the Mavericks.
The Denver Nuggets, the surprise Western Conference leaders, suffered their heaviest defeat of the season and saw Nikola Jokic ejected in the third quarter for yelling at an official.
Jokic had notched 19 points before being thrown out – although by that point the Los Angeles Clippers were already in a healthy position and went on to claim a comfortable 132-111 success.
Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris both scored 21 points while Montrezl Harrell added 20 for the Clippers.
Gold star. pic.twitter.com/JrNrvV5pCn — LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 23, 2018
Bradley Beal led the way with a triple-double to help the Washington Wizards see off the spirited challenge of the Phoenix Suns 149-146 after triple overtime.
Beal added 15 assists and 11 rebounds to his 40-point contribution, 10 of which came in the final period of overtime, to end the Suns' four-game winning streak.
Paul George's 43 points and 14 rebounds ushered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-106 victory over the Utah Jazz while James Harden led Houston's cause with 39 points and 10 assists as the Rockets downed the San Antonio Spurs 108-101.
The Toronto Raptors, leaders in the Eastern Conference, fell to a 126-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers while the Milwaukee Bucks were beaten 94-87 by the Miami Heat.
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