Otto Porter Jr shone on a rare start with 19 points and Stephen Curry added 33 as the Golden State Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 116-107 to take top spot in the Western Conference.
With several players missing through injury and COVID-19, Porter’s late flurry helped the Warriors pull away in the final two minutes.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers lost their fifth straight game. A James Harden triple-double gave the Brooklyn Nets a 122-115 win in LA.
After missing four games, Harden recorded his 63rd career triple-double as the Nets held off a Lakers comeback.
He scored 36 points and had 10 assists and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James scored 39 points for the Lakers.
With his 13th point of the game, James passed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day.
In New York Kemba Walker posted his first triple-double since 2014.
The resurgent point guard had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-87.
Returning from COVID-19 protocols, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points as the Milwaukee Bucks came from 19 points down to beat the Boston Celtics 117-113, while the Utah Jazz claimed a 120-116 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
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