Ben Simmons double-double helps 76ers stay perfect at home

Australian Ben Simmons contributed with 24 points and 11 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers remained unbeaten at home following a 116-109 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday (Saturday AEDT).

Teammate Tobias Harris scored over 20 points for the 13th time this season with his game-high tally of 31, while Joel Embiid also hit 24 points and brought down 11 rebounds.

The Sixers' fifth win in a row saw them improve to 14-0 at home in what is their longest winning streak at home to open a season since coming up with 22 in the championship season of 1966-67.

Simmons' double-double helped the Sixers maintain their perfect form at home, leaving them as the only remaining side who hasn't lost at home this season - following Miami's Heat's dramatic loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

At the Staples Center, Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter while JJ Redick added 19, but they dropped their 11th consecutive game and fell to 2-11 on the road.

Elsewhere, James Harden delivered another exceptional scoring performance and the Houston Rockets swept a brief two-game swing against Eastern Conference opponents, cruising past Orlando Magic 130-107.

Record-breaking Harden too hot for Magic

Two nights after pairing 55 points with eight assists in Cleveland against the Cavaliers, Harden posted 54 points and seven assists to subdue the Magic, who've dropped three straight games.

Harden drilled a franchise record 10 three-pointers to lead Houston past the Cavaliers. He finished 10-for-15 from behind the arc against Orlando en route to his fifth 50-point game of the season.

"I feel like we lost against just him tonight," Magic guard Evan Fournier said.

"He's the MVP for a reason. We talked about in pregame that he'll take shots, and we'll just live with the results. He did not miss tonight, period."

Meanwhile, LeBron James compiled 28 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds while leading the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth consecutive victory, a 113-110 decision over the Miami Heat.

"Two teams that are playing extremely well right now in this part of the season," James said, comparing the match to a heavyweight fight.

"Two teams that play physical, play together, play hard. That's why they are where they are at this point in the season and that's why we are where we are."

The Heat, trailing 112-110 with 8.1 seconds left, couldn't rebound a missed free throw by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. After another foul and one more Caldwell-Pope free throw, Miami's Jimmy Butler missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that could've forced overtime.

Anthony Davis also starred with a game-high 33 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Lakers, who earned their 13th consecutive road win.

Butler, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, had a team-high 23 points, but his Heat lost at home for the first time this season, falling to 11-1 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami had won six of its previous seven games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game absence to post 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks rallied past the Memphis Grizzlies 127-114 for their 17th consecutive win.

Milwaukee now has the second-longest winning streak in franchise history - the record of 20 set during the team's 1970-71 championship season.

Khris Middleton added 26 points for Milwaukee, while Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a career-high 43 points for the Grizzlies.

Georgia native Malcolm Brogdon collected 19 points and 12 assists as the visiting Indiana Pacers posted a 110-100 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

T.J. Warren scored 18 points and Doug McDermott added 16 off the bench for the Pacers, who have won 10 of their past 13 overall and seven straight against Atlanta. The winning streak versus the Hawks matches Indiana's longest in the series (2003-05).

Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds to secure his 11th consecutive double-double performance, while Trae Young scored a team-leading 23 points for the Hawks.

Devonte' Graham scored a team-high 16 points, P.J. Washington recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets held on for an 83-73 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Miles Bridges added 13 points for Charlotte, who won their third game in a row despite scoring their fewest points in a game this season. Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, and Terry Rozier and Cody Zeller finished with 11 points apiece.