James Harden’s return to NBA action was marred by the Philadelphia 76ers’ 132–123 defeat to the Houston Rockets after two overtimes.
The 2018 MVP is back from a right foot injury that has kept him out since November 2 and he returned to the Toyota Center, where he plied his trade for eight years.
Harden finished the game with 21 points and seven assists, while Cameroon-born Joel Embiid impressed with his tenth 30-point this season, finishing with 39 points and seven rebounds.
However, it was the duo of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. that combined for 51 points to lead the Rockets to their second victory in five games.
The Milwaukee Bucks won their second straight game with a 109-102 result against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
The trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 13 rebounds), Jrue Holiday (17 points and 10 assists), and Bobby Portis (18 points and 10 rebounds) ended the game with a double-double to seal the Bucks’ 17th win of the season.
Paolo Banchero got the fourth double-double of his rookie season with 20 points and 12 rebounds, with 7 assists and a block in the Magic’s ninth straight loss.
In the other encounters, the Dallas Mavericks overpowered the Phoenix Suns by 130-111 in their second Western Conference match-up at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas evened the scores for the season after suffering a narrow defeat to the Suns in their first game of the season at the Footprint Center.
Luka Doncic led both teams in scoring with his seventeenth 30-point or more game this season, finishing the game with 33 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks.
The Mavericks’ guard made five of seven free throws, shot four of nine from the 3-point line, and scored 12 of the 20 field goals he attempted.
The Dallas Mavericks were up by 26 points after the first half thanks to big buckets from Spencer Dinwiddie and Tim Hardaway Jr., who both ended the game with 21 points and 17 points, respectively.
Youngster Josh Green went 6-for-7 from the field for an impressive 16 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while Chris Wood came off the bench to help the team with 18 points and 9 rebounds for an emphatic 19-point win that saw Doncic sit out the entire 4th quarter.
Deandre Ayton was the most impressive for the Suns, with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while All-Star guard Devin Booker was relatively quiet, ending the game with a measly 11 points and 5 assists in 30 minutes.
