NBA: Kevin Durant leads the Rockets to victory over the Suns, Thunder crushed at home

Rome, 6 Jan. (LaPresse) – Eight NBA games were played last night. In a surprise result, the Hornets won away at Oklahoma City, crushing the reigning champions 124-97. Charlotte was led by Brandon Miller (28 points) and Kon Knueppel (23). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 7/21 from the field. The Nuggets also won on the road, beating Philadelphia 125-124 in overtime thanks to the performances of Jalen Pickett (29 points and 7 assists) and Peyton Watson (24 points and 7 rebounds). Joel Embiid’s 32 points and 10 rebounds were not enough for the Sixers. Houston beat Phoenix 100-97 (decisive three-pointer by former Kevin Durant – 26 points and 10 rebounds – with 1.1 seconds left on the clock) and the Clippers beat the Warriors 103-102, who were unable to complete their comeback in the fourth quarter (with Steph Curry – 27 points – fouled out in the final minutes). Detroit won the top-of-the-table clash in the East against New York, beating the Knicks 121-90 with a double-double from Cade Cunningham with 29 points and 13 assists. The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 115-101, winning for the eighth time in their last nine games (Anfernee Simons came off the bench to score 27 points), while the Toronto Raptors beat the Atlanta Hawks 118-110 with seven players in double figures (Scottie Barnes with a triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds) and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 137-117 with Deni Avdija again close to a triple-double with 33 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds and Shaedon Sharpe scoring 29 points.