Klay Thompson produced a record-breaking display of three-point shooting for the in-form Golden State Warriors on a night when James Harden again shone in a losing cause for the Houston Rockets.
Thompson became the first player in NBA history to convert his first 10 three-point attempts en route to a 44-point total in Golden State's 130-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 28-year-old guard missed his 11th and final effort but it mattered little as the the reigning NBA champions made it eight wins on the trot.
KLAY. 10-FOR-10 FROM THREE.
📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/PqsAxn9AKy
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 22, 2019
Harden also had another night to remember as he scored more than 30 points for the 20th consecutive game.
However, his 37-point haul was not enough to prevent the Rockets from slumping to a fifth defeat in their last nine games as they were sunk 121-93 by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Sixers, who outscored their opponents 29-13 in the third quarter to wrap up the win.
.@JoelEmbiid notches 32 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks vs Houston. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/wWZ5USJbcU — Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 22, 2019
Kyrie Irving finished with 26 points and 10 assists and Al Horford added 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Boston Celtics won their fourth game in a row, beating the Miami Heat 107-99.
Two other starters – Jayson Tatum and Marcus Morris – also scored in double figures for the Celtics, while Derrick Jones Jr and Dion Waiters top-scored for the Heat with 18 points apiece.
The Greek Freak putting up MVP numbers: 31 PTS | 15 REB | 5 AST#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/BD8KHkE1aI — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 21, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks to their fifth straight win with 31 points and 15 rebounds in a 116-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, while the Oklahoma City Thunder condemned the New York Knicks to their sixth loss in a row in a 127-109 result.
The Brooklyn Nets continued their purple patch with a fifth consecutive win as they emerged 123-94 victors over the Sacramento Kings.
Also, the Chicago Bulls saw off the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-88 and Trevor Ariza recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Washington Wizards downed the Detroit Pistons 101-87.
📊 @Infor Final Numbers 📊@Dloading | 31p | 8aJoe Harris | 19p | 7a@RODIONS1 | 16p | 2r@eddavisXVII | 6p | 16r@SDinwiddie_25 | 11p | 6a@_bigjayy_ | 8p | 12r@ShabazzNapier | 10p | 3stl#WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/AgSWaWnsrH — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 21, 2019
Nikola Vucevic contributed 29 points and 14 rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-103, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Memphis Grizzlies 105-85, and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Utah Jazz 109-104 despite a game-high 36 points from Donovan Mitchell.
