NBA wrap: Cavaliers overcomes Hawks for 10th straight win

A look at the scores and highlights from an exciting Thursday night in the NBA.

LeBron James had the challenge of marking Hawks' point guard Dennis Schroder.

The Hawks has been a thorn in Cleveland's side the last couple of years but Thursday's 121-114 win over Atlanta was more than a revenge game. 

The victory marked the Cavs' 10th straight win despite a stellar game from the Hawks' Dennis Schroder. The 24-year-old point guard had 27 points and five assists and forced the Cavs to put LeBron James on him. It was a challenge for the greatest player on the planet, but it was one he took and ran with Thursday.

"He was kicking our butts in the first half," James told reporters after the game about Schroder via ESPN . "My teammates asked me to take the challenge. I wanted the challenge."

Schroder was held to 10 points in the second half and the Cavaliers was able to erase a four-point halftime lead to come back for the win.

Cleveland is now 15-7 on the season after starting the year 4-6.

STUD OF THE NIGHT

The Nuggets lost Nikola Jokic to an ankle injury in the first half but Will Barton stepped in his absence and finished with 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also made the game-winning layup with three seconds left to give Denver a 111-110 win over the Bulls.

"I was telling my teammates to give me the ball and get out of the way," Barton said after the game.

DUD OF THE NIGHT

While Blazers guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ultimately had decent nights Thursday, their first-half performances were a big reason Portland was down 60-45 at the half. Lillard and McCollum combined to go 4 for 19 from the floor, scoring just eight points during the first 24 minutes of the 103-91 loss to the Bucks.

HIGHLIGHTS

76ers rookie Ben Simmons joined Oscar Robertson as the only two players in NBA history to average 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists through his first 20 games with a 15-point, six-rebound, seven-assist night in a 108-97 loss to the Celtics. He also made this reverse dunk look easy.

Pacers (12-10) at Raptors (13-7) 7:30 p.m. ET —  Two of the best backcourts in the Eastern Conference face off Friday as Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison of the Pacers take on DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry of the Raptors. The Pacers has been a pleasant surprise this season while the Raptors has been steady just like last year.