NBA scores: Houston explodes for 131 over New York, Celtics top Thunder on Friday

The NBA was off on Thursday, but returned with a bang Friday as a number of top teams were in action, including the Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta rolled past the Charlotte Bobcats, 101-91, picking up its fourth straight win. The Hawks are now 7-4 on the season. Al Horford led the way in both scoring and rebounding, putting up 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Three of the biggest matchups on Friday included three of the last six NBA Finals participants, starting with the Boston Celtics topping the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-100. Paul Pierce had 27 points and Rajon Rondo had 17 assists as Boston stopped a two-game losing streak. Last season's scoring champ Kevin Durant had 29 points in the loss.

The Los Angeles Lakers were also in action, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-98. The Lakers have still not won a game on the road this season and dropped to 6-7 overall. Kobe Bryant had 30 points in the loss, while Zach Randolph led Memphis with 21 points.

The Houston Rockets had a tremendous offensive showing, as James Harden and Chandler Parsons turned in the performances of the night, scoring 33 and 31 points respectively. The Rockets blew out the New York Knicks, 131-103 to improve to 6-7.

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