Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson defendsSue Ogrocki/The Associated Press
The Cleveland Cavaliers found out before Thursday's game that they would be without LeBron James.
They couldn't have found a less sympathetic opponent. Oklahoma City, which struggled without injured stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant the first month of the season, took advantage of the short-handed Cavaliers with a 103-94 victory.
James sat out with left knee soreness, and without him, Cleveland's winning streak ended at eight games. Cavaliers coach David Blatt said before the game that James' injury wasn't too serious, and he would be day-to-day.
Oklahoma City still expected a tough game because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are capable players.
"We told them right from the start they're a good team," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "They've got two All-Stars on the court that are really good, and they're going to have an opportunity to have the ball in their hands even more. We knew they were going to compete. We weren't taking them lightly."
Oklahoma City's now-healthy dynamic duo took control as Westbrook scored 26 points on 12-for-24 shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds, and Durant scored 19 points.
Irving scored 20 points for Cleveland, but he made just 7 of 21 shots while struggling to finish against the ultra-athletic Westbrook.
The Thunder have won six of seven after a 3-12 start.
"We're growing," Durant said. "Every single game, you can see defensively, offensively, we're starting to catch a stride. We've just got to continue to do it."
Love had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Tristan Thompson added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland had another injury scare in the first half. With 1:31 left in the second quarter, Irving jumped to contest a shot by Westbrook, and his knee connected with Westbrook's knee on the way down. A lot went through Blatt's head as he watched Irving writhe on the floor in front of the Thunder bench.
"Fear. Worry. Concern. And hope, which ultimately won the day," Blatt said. "There's a great saying in Russian ... 'Hope dies last.' Thank goodness he got up and he was able to play."
Irving expects to play at New Orleans on Friday.
"It will definitely stiffen up on me, without a doubt, but I plan on playing tomorrow," he said. "It just depends on how it feels in the morning. But as of right now, I'm going to gut it out, no matter what."
A 10-0 run by the Thunder, featuring 3-pointers by Serge Ibaka and Anthony Morrow, gave Oklahoma City a 67-57 lead in the third quarter.
Durant, who had been quiet for most of the game, found Morrow for a 3-pointer, then made a 3 himself to help Oklahoma City take a 78-66 lead into the fourth quarter. A step-back jumper, then a 3 by Jackson bumped Oklahoma City's lead to 83-66.
Cleveland made a final push to make it close in the final minutes. A tip-in by Thompson cut Oklahoma City's lead to 95-91 with two minutes to play before Oklahoma City held on.
ROCKETS 113, KINGS 109
SACRAMENTO – Although he struggled to hit shots in regulation, James Harden demonstrated in overtime why he's the NBA's leading scorer.
Harden scored a season-high 44 points, including 10 in the extra period, and also had eight assists to lead the Houston Rockets over the Sacramento Kings 113-109 on Thursday night.
After tying the game with a 3-pointer, Harden opened the extra period with seven unanswered points. The win was the fifth in six games for the Rockets, who are 9-3 on the road.
Harden missed 17 of 27 shots in regulation, then went 4 of 5 in OT and converted three of four free throws, leading the way as the Rockets outscored the Kings 18-14 in the extra period.
"He was rolling. In overtime he just took over," Houston coach Kevin McHale said.
Harden started overtime with a driving basket, hit a 3 and then added another basket to put the Rockets up 102-95. Collison's 3-pointer pulled the Kings within two, but Harden converted two free throws with 7.1 seconds left to seal the victory.
"I knew I had a lot left," said Harden, who shot 14 for 32 and made 13 of 15 free throws. "I just wanted to attack and create opportunities. I didn't shoot well in the first four quarters, but I wanted to come out aggressive in overtime."
Trevor Ariza scored 15 and Patrick Beverley had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets. Donatas Motiejunas added 14 points and Jason Terry 13.
Darren Collison scored 24 points and Ben McLemore added 21 for the Kings, who dropped their second straight and seventh in nine games. Derrick Williams scored 13 and Jason Thompson had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The Kings, who led by as many as 12 points, committed 22 turnovers that led to 27 Houston points in dropping another tight game.
"These losses are tough. We have to find ways to finish," Thompson said. "We really have to know how to get leads and not worry about the scoreboard."
Two of the NBA's top centres sat out: Houston's Dwight Howard and Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins.
The Rockets played their 11th straight game minus Howard, who has been out with a strained right knee. Houston is 8-3 without Howard, expected back in the lineup Saturday against visiting Denver.
Cousins has missed the last eight games with viral meningitis and there is no projected date for his return. The Kings are 2-6 without Cousins this season; 4-22 over the past three seasons.
Coming off an emotional loss Wednesday to Golden State, the Rockets appeared sluggish at times and struggled through three quarters, shooting 34 per cent and trailing 69-61.
Houston shot 7 of 14 on 3s to fuel its fourth-quarter rally. The Rockets made two more 3s in overtime and finished 15 of 44 overall.
"We didn't do a good job in adjusting to James Harden. He kicked our butt tonight and got whatever he wanted," Kings coach Michael Malone said.