Houston guard James Harden has scored at least 20 points in each of his 21 games this season, the NBA’s longest season-opening streak since LeBron James’ 33-game run in 2012-13.
Utah has outscored opponents by an average of 22.8 points during its current four-game winning streak.
Orlando forward Aaron Gordon has become the first Magic player with multiple 40-point games in a season since Dwight Howard in 2010-11.
Minnesota guard Tyus Jones is averaging 11.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals in his last four games, a stretch that includes three starts in place of the injured Jeff Teague.
Portland ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 99.5 points per 100 possessions. Last season, the Trail Blazers ranked 21st and allowed 107.8 points per 100 possessions.
On Thursday, when Cleveland defeated Atlanta to extend its winning streak to 10 games, Cavaliers forward LeBron James passed Alex English (10,659) for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time list for field goals made.
In his last two games, Chicago guard Kris Dunn has totaled 43 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds and shot 70.4 percent from the field (19-of-27).
Denver swingman Will Barton scored a career-high 37 points in Thursday’s victory over Chicago, the highest-scoring game by a Nuggets reserve since J.R. Smith’s 41-point performance against Atlanta on Dec. 23, 2009.
The Nuggets will retire Fat Lever’s No. 12 jersey on Saturday, when they play host to the Los Angeles Lakers. The two-time All-Star recorded 43 triple-doubles, the eighth-highest total in NBA history.
— NBA Newsletter
