Author: Matt Eppers, USA TODAY

Another career milestone for LeBron James was overshadowed by another dispiriting Lakers loss and more critical comments.

James Harden will settle for the second-longest streak of 30-point games in NBA history after finishing with 28 in the Rockets’ win over the Hawks.

DeMar DeRozan felt the love in his return to Toronto, but the night ended with the crowd showering the Raptors’ newest star with an MVP chant.

Teams at the top of the standings and those surrounded by drama will dominate the conversation. But they aren’t the only story lines worth watching.

Russell Westbrook continues to make the triple-double look easy, setting an NBA record Monday night with his 10th in a row.

After starters and captains were announced last week, reserves were released Thursday night. Let the debates begin about who got snubbed.

James Harden is still on a historic scoring tear, Chris Paul is back from injury and the Houston Rockets are rounding into top contender form.

James Harden scored 35 points for his 22nd consecutive game with at least 30, and forced Kawhi Leonard into a missed 3 at buzzer for 121-119 win.

Love or hate his style of play, James Harden is on a historic scoring streak the likes of which we haven’t seen in the NBA in over half a century.

Rather than the Lakers’ gold game shorts, Michael Beasley still had on black practice shorts when he tried to check in Thursday against the Thunder.