NBA scores 2015: Klay Thompson goes off, Hawks take Thunder for 15th straight win and 3 other things we learned Friday

The Atlanta Hawks used a team effort to outclass Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Klay Thompson went off. Plus, three other things we learned Friday night.

by Liam Boylan-Pett

Jan 24, 2015, 1:00 PM UTC

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks were pulling away as usual. They were up by 11 with 3:18 to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder when Kent Brazemore stole an errant Russell Westbrook pass. Brazemore passed to Jeff Teague, who pulled back at the wing to let the offense set. Then Paul Millsap sliced to the hoop. Teague flicked his wrist and zipped a pass to Millsap, who put in an easy layup. It was textbook teamwork to put the game out of reach.

The Hawks beat the Thunder, 103-93, for their 15th straight win. That's a team record. They've now won 20 of their last 21, and 29 of their last 31. They have the best record in the Eastern Conference by 6.5 games. They're only trailing the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the league. All of this has come after they started the season 5-5.

Currently, there is no blueprint to beating Atlanta. The Hawks, on the other hand, do have a blueprint for success.

Against the Thunder, the Hawks did what they always do: They used a balanced attack and simply outlasted a team that seemed ready to beat them. Westbrook had 22 points and 11 assists. Kevin Durant had 21 points, but shot just 8-for-22 from the field in 41 minutes (he did have an absurd dunk). Serge Ibaka had 13 points as the Thunder's only other double-digit scorer. The Hawks, meanwhile, had five players score in double figures.

Millsap led the way with 22 points, while Teague, Al Horford, DeMarre Carroll and Dennis Schroeder all chipped in with more than 10 each. Even with Kyle Korver (who had another dunk) going just 2-for-5 from the field and 1-for-3 from deep for five points, the Hawks outclassed an Oklahoma City team that looked ready to end the Hawks' streak and add to their own in the first quarter.

Westbrook went off for 13 points in the first 12 minutes and the Thunder, who had won four straight, led by seven points in front of the sold-out Atlanta crowd. But then the Hawks took over, outscoring Oklahoma City in each quarter and pulling away in the fourth, when they led by as many as 15 points.

The Hawks shot 48.2 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and were 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. Plus, they kept the stars of Oklahoma City at bay. That staggering defense and efficient play is what has them on top of the Eastern Conference.

As a bonus, the win streak has made the team’s official Twitter account even more fun to follow.

3 other things we learned

Klay Thompson is a shooting god. The Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings, 126-101, to improve to 35-6 on the season. And Klay Thompson broke two NBA records. He scored 37 points in the third quarter, going 13-for-13 from the field to set the record for most points in a quarter. George Gervin and Carmelo Anthony had both put up 33 previously. Thompson also set the record for three-pointers in a quarter with nine. Thompson ended with 52 points in a game that he can now shove in front of anyone who says he shouldn't be an All-Star. You can watch every shot he made in the historic quarter.

The Chicago Bulls look like they've turned things around. Derrick Rose grabbed an offensive rebound off his own miss with fewer than five seconds to play to seal a 102-98 win for the Chicago Bulls over the Dallas Mavericks. It was a big road win for the Bulls, who completed a Texas sweep after beating the San Antonio Spurs Thursday. Heading into the Texas road trip, the Bulls had lost four of five, including a throttling at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday. But after an airing of grievances following the Cleveland loss, the Bulls have looked tough and crisp -- like a Tom Thibodeau team. The Mavericks, meanwhile, left the game with some new questions. Rajon Rondo was on the bench in crunch time. Coach Rick Carlisle told Tim MacMahon of ESPN it was a coaching decision, but wouldn't offer more information.

James Harden likes game-winning shots. The Phoenix Suns almost stole a win from the Houston Rockets, coming back from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to tie it up with 16.6 seconds remaining. But James Harden wasn't having it. He hit a pull-up jumper as time expired to give the Rockets a 113-111 win over the Suns. Harden had 33 points, 11 assists and six rebounds on a night when Dwight Howard left the game with a right ankle sprain after only nine minutes of playing time. The Suns were led Eric Bledsoe's 25 points and Isaiah Thomas' 22 points off the bench. It would have been a big win for the Suns, but even after the loss they remain three games up on the Pelicans and Thunder for that final playoff spot in the West.

The Suns might want to look into a team rule that coach Jeff Hornacek is enforcing, however. If you get a technical foul, you sit out the rest of the game. Goran Dragic didn't play the final 6:18 of the third quarter or any of the fourth quarter for arguing with a referee. He might have been useful down the stretch.

Play of the night

Has anyone mentioned that LeBron James looks more like the LeBron James of old again? This play is exactly what the fans of Cleveland imagined when James announced he was going back to his home state. James is deadly in the open court, and when his teammates can make passes as perfect as that, he's even more terrifying. The Cavaliers led by as many as 49 points in this game. They won by 39. There was only one problem with this play of the night: J.R. Smith might have been trying to shoot.