The Spurs' prickly defense was tested Tuesday night, but it fought through to upend the Rockets 102-100 in Houston.
San Antonio had gone 25 straight games without allowing a 30-point scorer, but that streak was broken when James Harden scored 31 points to go with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
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While the Spurs' defense showed a small leak, the offense had six different players score in double figures, led by Kawhi Leonard with 21 points. Leonard also had five steals. LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points, and Pau Gasol had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Patty Mills had 13 points; the last three came on a basket with 12.9 seconds remaining to give the Spurs the lead for good.
The battle for Texas — sorry, Mavericks — was won in the fourth quarter. Gregg Popovich's team erased a seven-point deficit entering the period by outscoring the Rockets 31-22.
It's going to be tough for the Spurs to overtake the Warriors in the Western Conference this season, but they have the talent to make things uncomfortable for Golden State late.
Studs of the Night
LeBron James helped the Cavaliers win a 114-108 overtime thriller over the Bucks by scoring 34 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists. He also passed Moses Malone for eighth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with his first basket. James had to carry the team with Kevin Love out nursing a bruised knee.
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Pelicans star Anthony Davis continued to dominate; he had 31 points and 16 rebounds in New Orleans' 108-93 win over the 76ers. This was Davis' eighth game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds this season, which is as many as the rest of the league combined.
Carmelo Anthony found an extra pep in his step in the Knicks' 118-111 victory over the Pacers. The All-Star forward matched a season high with 35 points and added four assists and four rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas scored a career-high 44 points in the Celtics' 112-109 overtime win over the Grizzlies. Thomas is the first Celtics player with 40 points in a game since Jeff Green had 43 against the Heat in March 2013.
Dud of the Night
Nets forward Bojan Bogdanovic showed promise early in the season as a consistent scorer, but he floundered in Brooklyn's 116-104 loss to the Raptors. He scored just five points on 1-of-6 shooting, with two assists and no rebounds.
Highlight
Nicolas Batum takes it to the rack to beat the Lakers:
Batum wins it for @hornets! pic.twitter.com/cp39koNF8w
— NBA (@NBA) December 21, 2016
The Hornets swingman finished the 117-113 victory with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Kemba Walker added 28 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for Charlotte.
What's next
Thunder (16-12) at Pelicans (10-20), 8 p.m. ET — Russell Westbrook vs. Anthony Davis should be enough to get your attention. Two of the NBA's most dynamic scorers and playmakers face off while leading teams that have little surrounding them.