John Wall offered hope to Houston Rockets fans as he powered his side to a 102-94 win over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA on Saturday night.

The Rockets did not need the injured James Harden as Wall, himself only two games back from an Achilles injury that kept him out of basketball for more than two years, dropped 28 points and inspired Eric Gordon and Christian Wood to muscle up.

Collin Sexton had 27 points and was instrumental in the fourth quarter for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they beat the Atlanta Hawks 96-91, while the Oklahoma City Thunder maintained a solid defensive effort to finish 108-99 over the Orlando Magic.

The New York Knicks bounced back from a poor loss to the Toronto Raptors on New Year's Eve to defeat the Indiana Pacers 106-102, with RJ Barrett top scoring with 25 points.

Brandon Ingram had 31 points for the New Orleans Pelicans but it was team-mate Eric Bledsoe who proved the difference with 10 assists and 19 points, including a three-pointer in the final minute as his side outlasted the Raptors 120-116.

And Ben Simmons embraced his role as a facilitator for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Australian dishing out nine assists heading into the third quarter for the first time since 2019 and finishing with a triple-double in a 127-112 domination of the Charlotte Hornets.