Post Up: The Rook and The King

Cavaliers 121 (21-8), Lakers 112 (10-17)

The Cavs won their 10th-straight home game behind a triple-double from LeBron James (25 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) and 28 points from Kevin Love. The triple-double was the 59th of LeBron’s career, tying him with Larry Bird on the NBA’s all-time list. For the Lakers, it was Lonzo Ball‘s first game against the King, someone he admired growing up. The two shared a quick discussion on the court after the game, and while James would not reveal what he said to the rookie, he did tell reporters how much he admires Ball’s game. Lonzo finished with 13 points and 11 assists, while Brandon Ingram led L.A. in the scoring column with 26.

Knicks 111 (15-13), Nets 104 (11-16)

Courtney Lee scored 18 points in the second half and 27 overall as the Knicks held off the Nets in a close cross-town matchup. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 13 points, but left the game in the second half with an apparent knee injury. He told reporters after the game that he did not believe it to be serious. Spencer Dinwiddie had a career-high 26 points for Brooklyn and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 25 more.

Timberwolves 119 (17-12), Kings 96 (9-19)

No one has more double-doubles this season than Karl-Anthony Towns, and he added another on Thursday with a 30-point, 14-rebound performance to lead Minnesota to a home win. Andrew Wiggins helped out with 22 of his own and Zach Randolph added 15-and-nine. All together, it adds up to the Timberwolves’ third win in four games and one of their best starts in franchise history. George Hill had 16 points to lead Sacramento.

Pistons 105 (15-13), Hawks 91 (6-22)

Andre Drummond narrowly missed a triple-double (12 points, 19 rebounds, nine assists) to help the Pistons snap a seven-game losing streak and earn a win over one of the worst teams in the league. Every Detroit starter scored in double figures, led by 19 from Tobias Harris. The Hawks got 23 from Ersan Ilyasova and 15 from John Collins, but not much else after that. Of course, it all paled in comparison to this fan’s heroics from mid-court:

Warriors 112 (23-6), Mavericks 97 (8-21)

After going into halftime tied with the last-place Mavericks, Kevin Durant took over in the third quarter, scoring 15 points and helping the defending champs create some separation. Durant finished with 36 points overall to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists in a game that was even more competitive than the final score indicated. The Warriors put on another clinic in sharing the ball, handing out 35 assists on 47 made baskets, in a game in which they shot 60 percent from the field. The Mavericks, meanwhile, got 18 points from Dirk Nowitzki to lead five players in double-figures.