YIPS

Daniss Jenkins was the story in Detroit Thursday night, lighting up the Timberwolves for 26 points in a hard-fought 113-108 Pistons victory. Jalen Duren did the dirty work inside with 14 rebounds, giving Detroit the board battle they needed to survive a furious Minnesota push. Julius Randle was a one-man army for the Wolves, churning out 27 points and 6 rebounds, but the Pistons' collective resolve proved just too much to overcome.

Donovan Mitchell was his usual clutch self, delivering 25 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a hard-earned 118-111 road win over the Golden State Warriors. Jarrett Allen was a force in the paint with 13 rebounds, giving Cleveland the physical edge they needed to fend off Golden State's runs. Brandin Podziemski matched Mitchell with 25 points on his own and Gary Payton II added 12 boards for the Warriors, but the Cavs proved just resilient enough when the lights burned brightest.

Jrue Holiday was everywhere Thursday night, stuffing the stat sheet with 27 points and 9 assists to carry the Portland Trail Blazers to a convincing 118-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Robert Williams III provided the muscle with 9 rebounds, giving Portland a physical anchor that New Orleans simply couldn't match. Jeremiah Fears fought valiantly for the Pelicans with 21 points, but Holiday was operating at a level that was simply out of New Orleans' reach.

De'Aaron Fox was as lethal as ever, slashing his way to 22 points and 5 assists to engineer San Antonio's 118-99 road dismantling of the LA Clippers. Devin Vassell complemented Fox beautifully with 10 points, and together they gave Los Angeles's defense a two-headed problem it never solved. Kawhi Leonard put up 24 points for the Clippers in a typically quiet, efficient fashion, but it wasn't enough to keep LA from a damaging home loss.

Miles Bridges was the engine in Charlotte's 127-107 demolition of the Phoenix Suns, pouring in 25 points and keeping the Hornets humming on both ends. LaMelo Ball added 11 assists to keep the offense in constant motion, while Moussa Diabate muscled his way to 10 rebounds down low. Phoenix's Jalen Green did what he could with 25 points, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep the Suns afloat in a lopsided affair.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was surgical and unstoppable, carving up the Los Angeles Lakers for 28 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder ran away with a breathtaking 139-96 rout. Jalen Williams added 9 points and 8 rebounds, playing with the kind of two-way tenacity that makes OKC such a difficult matchup from top to bottom. Los Angeles had no answers, with Austin Reaves doing his best to salvage pride with 15 points, while Luka Doncic managed just 7 rebounds in a forgettable outing for the star-studded Lakers.