LeBron James carries the Lakers, Kevin Durant bests Trae Young and more from Friday's star-studded NBA slate

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In the Lakers' win over the OKC, the King dropped 33.

The Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 33 points. There is a time and a place for this.

1:45 AM

Friday night in the NBA saw close calls and shining stars.

After a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Michael Jordan joined the elite, yet elderly basketball category, while LaMelo Ball offered an analysis of his team's game against the Sacramento Kings, and Kevin Durant started a little trouble in Trae Young's house.

The three games were part of a nine-game selection of NBA fare. Here's a recap of what you might have missed.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers realized that James could change the outcome of a game.

James didn't play in the previous two games as Los Angeles was 0-2 against OKC. He finished with 33 points, six assists and five rebound in a romp of the Thunder. He's averaged 27.1 points, 5.8 boards, and 7.1 dimes in his past 10 games, making him the only player in NBA history to average 255-5 in his career at age 36 or older.

The performance from the OKC was not good, but it was led by a young man who scored 19 points off the bench.

James scored a season-high 23 points in the first half and 33 in 35 minutes to lead the team. The Lakers' social media had a perfect angle on his last two points.

33 points in 35 minutes.
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December 11, 2021.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks.

The noteworthy part of the game was the close encounter between Young and Durant late in the contest.

The incident did not escalate after they were assessed with technical fouls.

"He wanted me to get out of his space and I understand that," said the player.

Young was the only player with 25 points and 10 assists in five straight games since the NBA-ABA merger. Jordan's streak of 10 games in 1989 was the last time he had an impressive stat line.

KD set the tone early as he rejected Young's attempt with authority.

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Trae Young tried for a layup but was denied by Kevin Durant.

The Charlotte Hornets and the Sacramento Kings played each other.

Ball, P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier and three other Hornets were unavailable for the home team Friday night as Charlotte ended the Kings' three-game winning streak.

The Kings missed several field goal attempts. The Hornets escaped with a win after De'Aaron Fox missed two free throws.

The Kings became the only team in the past 25 regular season to miss multiple free throws in the final three seconds of a game, according to data from the past 25 seasons.

The 11th pick in the NBA draft, James Bouknight, came off the bench and took advantage of his extended playing time. The man went off for a career-high 24 points, with 18 coming from behind thearcs.

He scored on three straight possessions in the third quarter.

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The Hornets cut into their deficit in the third quarter as James Bouknight took over.

Although he wasn't present for the game, Ball still supported his team from afar and took to the internet to share his thoughts.

Is he missing both?
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December 11, 2021.

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Houston Astros 123 to 114.

The only team in NBA history to have a 15-game losing streak and a seven-game winning streak was the Rockets. They were able to hold a late eight-point lead and keep up with the Bucks, but they lost the game.

Antetokounmpo's performance was too hot for Houston.

Antetokounmpo's night was highlighted by his offensive contributions, but he also had two big swats that moved him up to the top spot as Milwaukee's all-time blocks leader.

He acknowledged his latest accomplishment, but was already looking ahead to his next challenge.

"It's a great compliment to my career, but I have to keep getting better and defending better," Antetokounmpo said.

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Antetokounmpo scored 41 points, added 17 rebound, and became the all-time blocks leader in Milwaukee's win.

The Toronto Raptors played the New York Knicks.

The Knicks trailed by as much as 20 points in the first quarter. They battled back to tie the score with 4:43 left in the second quarter, thanks to a spark provided by Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley.

Both teams missed crucial shots in the final minutes of the game. Toronto held on for a victory as New York missed two potential game winners in the last three seconds.

Gary Trent Jr.'s late-game 3 proved to be the difference-maker.

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Gary Trent Jr. sank a 3-pointer in the final minute as the Raptors held off the Knicks for a 90-87 victory.

The Raptors' win came without the support of superfan Nav Bhatia, who missed a home game for the first time since the team was founded. "This is the toughest post I have had to make and my heart is breaking right now," he wrote. He missed the game out of caution, after Raptors president Masai Ujiri announced that he had tested positive for carbon dioxide.

Kal Penn, who is set to produce and star in a movie about the first fan to join the Basketball Hall of Fame, filled in for him at the game.

I want you to enjoy the game. He sent me a picture of him saying "I might be playing the Superfan but nobody will ever be the Superfan except you and this seat A12 will always be yours", I got emotional. God bless you Kal.
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Nav Bhatia is the Superfan.

This story was made possible by the information and statistics from the sports network.