The Golden State Warriors outscored the Orlando Magic 30-11 in the third quarter and looked to be on their way to a win with Kevin Durant out for rest purposes. However, the Warriors scored just 15 points in the final quarter and came out on the losing end of this game. It marks the third loss in four games for the defending champions, and their second straight.
The Philadelphia 76ers battled the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game where both Joel Embiid and Paul George missed the contest due to injuries. The Thunder did erase a double-digit deficit to fight back into the game, but the Sixers proved to be too much behind 32 points from Tobias Harris.
Meanwhile, James Harden put on a show against the Miami Heat as he scored 58 points and was only three points from tying his career-high. The Rockets came away with a hard-fought victory.
In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers came away with a win over the New York Knicks in a game that could've been billed as the Zion Williamson bowl. The Indiana Pacers also outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves behind 37 points from Bojan Bogdanovic. Karl-Anthony Towns filled up the stat sheet with 42 points, 17 rebounds and four assists for the Timberwolves in the defeat.
NBA scores for Thursday, Feb. 28
*All times Eastern
Jokic sets up Plumlee for easy slam
Nikola Jokic really can do it all for the Nuggets. While he's had a knack for scoring the basketball, the star big man dished out this spectacular pass to Mason Plumlee, who deposited a two-handed slam dunk against the Jazz.
Harris leads 76ers past Thunder
Without Joel Embiid in the lineup, Tobias Harris took it upon himself to pick up the scoring slack. Harris finished with 32 points and connected on five 3-pointers in a win for the 76ers.
Harden explodes for 58 points in win
James Harden has had a knack for scoring outbursts this season as he scored 30 or more points in 32 consecutive games before having the streak snapped earlier this week. Harden went off for 58 points against the Heat and the Rockets needed every one of them to squeak out a victory.
Wade certainly has still got it
Dwyane Wade has definitely proved this week that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. After nailing a game-winning 3-pointer on Wednesday, he faked Clint Capela and Austin Rivers out of their shoes and converted a layup that looked fairly routine on Thursday.
Simmons deposits loud slam
The 76ers really had a stellar first half in which they led by double-digits over the Thunder. On this play, Philadelphia made it look easy from a passing standpoint and it resulted with a vocal one-handed slam dunk from Ben Simmons.
Harden launches one from the logo
James Harden has never been afraid to launch some difficult 3s during his NBA career. However, Harden attempted one from "the parking lot" in the first quarter against the Heat, and made it look incredibly easy.
Cousins rocks the rim
DeMarcus Cousins has been a mixed bag since returning to the court for the Warriors. However, he proved to be the true difference-maker in the third quarter against the Magic with 10 points in the frame, including this thunderous throw-down.
Robinson rocks the rim on alley-oop
The New York Knicks haven't had a ton of bright spots this season, but rookie big man Mitchell Robinson definitely has been one of them recently. Robinson got involved in the early going when he threw down a monstrous slam dunk off an alley-oop from teammate Emmanuel Mudiay.
Towns explodes for 23 points in first quarter
It's really hard to expect a better start than the one Karl-Anthony Towns turned in against the Pacers. Towns exploded for 23 points in the opening quarter and knocked down 8-of-16 field goal attempts.
Gordon throws down thunderous slam
It's been no secret that Aaron Gordon can throw down slam dunks with the best of them, and that's one of the reasons that the Magic see him as a huge part of their future. In the opening quarter against the Warriors, Gordon got some space and deposited a ferocious one-handed slam dunk
Curry puts defense on skates
The Warriors didn't have a stellar start to their game against the Magic. However, Stephen Curry did have it going on, including this sensational drive in which he navigated his way through the entire Orlando defense.
