Thunder win 15th straight as LeBron again decisive for Laker

The NBA champions showed no intention of relinquishing their crown. The Utah Jazz learned that to their regret, overwhelmed 131-101 by the Thunder for their 15th consecutive victory, despite the absence of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In the absence of their star, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren scored 25 points apiece to lead a blowout win against the Jazz. The Thunder built a lead as large as a 42 points on their way to matching the longest winning streak in franchise history.

LeBron signs his best game since his return

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 112-108 on another masterful night for the ageless LeBron James with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

James, 40, scored five of the final seven points to secure the win at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. "I felt good from the morning and then in the game," James said in remarks picked up by AFP. "I played the game as it came to me, my teammates were tired at the end and today I felt good physically to close the game."

After his final basket of the night, James celebrated by donning the crown of basketball king before the gaze of the 20,431 spectators. The four-time NBA champion's stellar performance comes after losing a streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points last Dec. 4 against the Toronto Raptors.

A feisty 76ers squad fought until the final minute, but lost at the free-throw line to end the matchup. Guard Tyrese Maxey, the game's top scorer with 28 points, kept them in it with a key 3-pointer.

The Lakers are second in the Western Conference, five games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Philadelphia is seventh in the East.

Nuggets, unstoppable away from home

The Denver Nuggets secured their third straight win and 10th on the road Sunday, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 115-106 at Spectrum Center. Behind 34 points from Canadian guard Jamal Murray, the Nuggets improved to 17-6, marking the best start in franchise history after 23 games.

"We played focused, and most of all, free," Murray stressed. "I always try to be aggressive, I don't want to wait or show indecision at key moments." Murray, 28, averages 24.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists in his first 21 games in the 2025-26 season.

Serbia's Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets' top star and three-time MVP award winner, had a modest day with a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hornets led by six points early in the third quarter but could not sustain the good momentum and succumbed in a 58-point second half for David Adelman's team.

Knicks without Anthony-Towns triumph over the Magic

The New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 106-100 overcoming the absence of Dominican Karl Anthony-Towns, who suffered muscle discomfort in his left calf.

The team led by Mike Brown relied on Jalen Brunson, who scored 30 points and dished out nine assists, and forward Josh Hart, who finished with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds.

"We played focused and paid attention to the little details," Brunson commented. "We need to close out the game in a better way but I'm glad we were able to pull out the result."

New York improves its home record to 13 wins and one loss, the best start since the 1992-93 season. They have won three in a row and are in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The New Yorkers managed to win the rebounding battle 52-48 and prevailed in the paint 52-42, two of the keys to victory at Madison Square Garden.

For the Magic, German Franz Wagner left the game in the first quarter with an injury to his left leg and will be evaluated in the coming hours to learn the extent of the injury.

Brown scores 30 points in Celtics' win over Raptors

The Boston Celtics let a 23-point lead slip away but managed to rally down the stretch to beat the Toronto Raptors 121-113 at Scotiabank Arena. Jaylen Brown was the leading scorer with 30 points on 47 percent shooting in 39 minutes.

A basket by Jamal Shead with 10:39 to play in the fourth period gave Toronto the lead after being down 87-64, Toronto scored 34 points and allowed 10 in a 10-minute span between the third and fourth periods.

"They raised their level and we weren't up to it physically," coach Joe Mazzulla said. "We managed to bounce back and you have to give credit to the players, you're not always going to play at the highest level."

The Celtics backed up Friday's 24 three-pointers with 20 on 47 attempts this day, Derrick White led the way with six.

The Raptors have lost five of their last six games before facing the Knicks on Tuesday in game one of the NBA Cup quarterfinals.