OKLAHOMA CITY -- Klay Thompson scored 34 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-95 on Monday night in a heated matchup filled with trash talking, physical play and technical fouls.
It was Golden State's second visit to Oklahoma City since former Thunder star Kevin Durant signed a free agent contract with the rival Warriors last summer. Durant has been out since February with a left knee injury and sat on the bench with his team.
Even with Durant out, the negative energy from the first meeting was still there. Stephen Curry exchanged shoves with Oklahoma City's Semaj Christon just before halftime, and both were issued technical fouls. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and Golden State's Draymond Green also got technical for their roles in the skirmish.
The Warriors controlled the game, leading by as many as 27 points (see full recap).
Harden hits game-winning layup in final seconds
HOUSTON -- James Harden drove the length of the floor for a layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Houston Rockets over the Denver Nuggets 125-124 on Monday night.
Harden had 39 points, 11 assists and was three rebounds shy of his 20th triple-double of the season. Houston outlasted Denver in a duel between the second- and third-highest scoring teams in the NBA.
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Harden likely saved the game for Houston, too, when he batted down an inbounds pass to Mason Plumlee near the basket following his layup.
Will Barton gave Denver a one-point lead on a three-point play with less than a minute left. On the following possession, Harden missed a layup, but he got it back on the other end of the floor when he rebounded Jameer Nelson's air-ball.
Harden took the ball the full length of the court and scored on a finger-roll, go-ahead layup (see full recap).
Thomas returns in Celtics' win over Wizards
BOSTON -- Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points after missing the previous two games with a bruised right knee, leading the Boston Celtics to a 110-102 victory over the Washington Wizards in another testy matchup Monday night between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Avery Bradley added 20 points and nine rebounds, and Jae Crowder and Al Horford each scored 16 with nine boards for Boston, which moved 2 games ahead of the Wizards for second place in the East. The Celtics trail first-place Cleveland by two games.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 19 points, and John Wall had 16 points with eight assists.
Behind Thomas' 12 third-quarter points, Boston pushed an 11-point halftime lead to 92-75 after three (see full recap).
