NBA scores: Rockets win first game without Harden in 9 years, Warriors lose to Nuggets

On Thursday (Friday IST), the NBA played their scheduled five games. The Houston Rockets played their first game without James Harden, beginning their post-Harden era on a positive note. The Portland Trail Blazers ended up losing to Indiana Pacers 111-87 with Jusuf Nurkic out due to injury. Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors registered other wins. 

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NBA scores: Houston Rockets beat San Antonio Spurs 109-105

With Harden gone and John Wall sidelined due to a sore knee, the Houston Rockets bagged their first win without the now Nets star. Christian Wood scored 27 points and 15 rebounds for the team, while Sterling Brown added 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in Harden's place. "It was fun. It was really cool stuff," said head coach Stephen Silas. This marked the team's first game without Harden on their roster since 2012. 

For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson recorded a career-high 29 points, with Lonnie Walker IV adding 16 points and career-high four three-pointers. "It's got nothing to do with defense (or) offense," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It has to do with between the ears and being ready to play. And we had four or five guys who were out to lunch". DeMar DeRozan added 13 points. 

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NBA results: Denver Nuggets trump Warriors 114-104

While the Warriors increase their offensive prowess, the team failed to defend against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Jokic scored 23 points, 18 of them in the second half of the 114-104 game. He dropped a triple-double, scoring 14 rebounds and 10 assists. "I think he'd definitely be in the MVP conversation, which is entirely too early to talk about," Denver head coach Michael Malone said while talking about the impact Jokic is creating. Will Barton and Jamal Murray added 17 points each. 

 On the other hand, Steph Curry had 35 points on 14-of-23 shooting. However, the Nuggets made it difficult for the Warriors to maintain a lead. "We've got to be better," Curry said while talking about the Warriors defence. "It doesn't matter what the adjective is. We've got to be better."

Also read | NBA scores: Sabonis has 23 pts, 15 boards as Pacers down Blazers 111-87

NBA highlights: Indiana Pacers edge past Portland Trail Blazers 111-87

This week, the Portland Trail Blazers were unable to contain Domantas Sabonis and the Pacers. Sabonis added 23 points an 15 rebounds for the team, while Malcolm Brogdon came through with 25 points and 7 assists. "We talked about it as a team before the game," Doug McDermott said, referring to the team keeping the ball away from Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. 

Both McCollum and Lillard had 22 points. Lillard added that he felt frustrated after the game, knowing that anyone would in that particular situation. The team also lost Nurkic during the third quarter, having sustained a fracture. 

Other NBA fixtures on January 14 (January 15 IST)

• Toronto Raptors register a 111-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets
• Philadelphia 76ers win 125-108 against the Miami Heat

Also read | Was the James Harden trade to Nets discussed with superstar Kevin Durant 'months ago'?

NBA live stream details

US fans can stream the game via YouTube TV, Sling TV, fuboTV or an AT&T TV NOW subscription, which offer NBA TV in their plan. Local broadcasts are also available in the USA. The live broadcast in India will not be available on Sony Six & Sony Six HD channels this season, neither would the live streaming be on FanCode. Fans in India will have to buy the NBA League Pass (NBA App or site) to watch live games.

(Image credits: AP)