After a brutally slow start to the season, the Thunder are starting to look like contenders.

Oklahoma City rattled off its eighth straight win Sunday with a 122-112 home victory over the 76ers. Russell Westbrook led the way with 37 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, while newly minted All-Star Paul George added 31 points.

The Thunder trailed by one at halftime, but outscored the 76ers 35-25 in the third quarter. Center Steven Adams dominated both ends of the court, scoring 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting while hauling in 13 rebounds. 

Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Simmons 22 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Philadelphia (24-22) has still won five of its last seven games.

The win moved the Thunder (30-20) into fifth in the Western Conference standings.

Stud of the Night

LeBron James flirted with yet another triple-double in a 121-104 win over the reeling Pistons. James scored a game-high 25 points with 14 assists and eight rebounds. Kevin Love added 20 points and 11 rebounds to shake off last week's controversy.

Dud of the Night

Bulls guard Zach LaVine scored just six points on 2-of-11 shooting (0-5 from 3-point range) in a 110-96 loss to the Bucks. LaVine had five rebounds and five assists, but Denzel Valentine made a case for starting after scoring 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Highlight

Devin Booker hit a sweet step-back 3-pointer before leaving the Suns' loss to the Rockets. 

Booker scored 31 points with 10 assists in the 113-102 loss to the Rockets, but left late with an injury.

What's Next

Celtics (35-15) at Nuggets (26-23) 9:00 p.m. ET — Denver, one of the most underrated and well-balanced teams in the league, is fresh off a three-game winning streak. The Celtics have struggled in January, but continue to lead the Eastern Conference. Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris is enjoying a breakout season, averaging 17.3 points per game.