The San Antonio Spurs took full advantage of the absence of LeBron James to secure a 107-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Victor Wembanyama scored 16 points from the bench while Keldon Johnson led the Spurs scorers with 27 points as San Antonio improved to 26-11.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with a game-high 38 points, adding 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season and third in his last 12 games.
For James, his streak of 21 consecutive seasons being named to an All-NBA team is in serious jeopardy.
If he misses one for game he will not meet the NBA’s mandate of a minimum of 65 games played to eligible for postseason honours.
Elsewhere, there were a number of wild finishes in Thursday’s game with the Houston Rockets denied a thrilling victory against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 103-102 loss.
Tari Eason looked to have secured the victory with the putback on the missed game-winner from Kevin Durant, only for it to be ruled to have come after the buzzer on review.
It was less than one-tenth of a second from being good but instead it was Portland securing the upset on the back of the much-improved Deni Avdija, who put up 41 points in the win.
Durant, meanwhile, had a team-high 37 for the Rockets.
Earlier, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz.
The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
But NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime.
Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western Conference leaders returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who also had six rebounds and six assists, was backed with 23 points from Chet Holmgren, who pulled down 12 rebounds.
Oklahoma City improved to 31-7 at the top of the Western Conference.
The drama continued in Charlotte as Immanuel Quickley hit a buzzer beater to steal victory for the Toronto Raptors in a 97-96 thriller against the Hornets.
LaMelo Ball looked to have sealed the win for the Hornets when he put the home team up by two with 1.6 seconds left before Quickley’s late heroics.
Elsewhere, Paolo Banchero called game in an epic win for the Orlando Magic against the Brooklyn Nets in overtime.
Meanwhile, Denver Nuggets improved to 25-12 after powering past the in-form Boston Celtics on the road.
The Celtics went into the game at the TD Garden as one of the form teams of the league after eight wins from their previous nine games saw them move into third place in the Eastern Conference.
However Denver, playing without the injured Nikola Jokic, unleashed a barrage of 20 three-pointers to grab an impressive victory.
Peyton Watson scored 30 points with six three-pointers while Jamal Murray finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and 17 assists. Jaylen Brown led the Boston scoring with 33 points.
At the top of the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons moved to 28-9 after a 108-93 defeat of the Chicago Bulls thanks to a 31-point performance from Isaiah Stewart.
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid’s 28 points helped the 76ers trounce the Washington Wizards 131-110.
The New York Knicks ended their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 win over the struggling Los Angeles Clippers.
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points while Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
In Memphis, former Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks returned to haunt his former club with 21 points for the Phoenix Suns in a 117-98 rout.
