NBA scores: Thunder win third straight to keep pace in Northwest Division

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Detroit Pistons on Friday night 105-94 to earn their third consecutive win. After stumbling out of the blocks to start the season with a 1-2 record, the Thunder worked their way through a busy schedule this week to find their winning stride.

After beating the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, the Thunder hit the road to beat the Chicago Bulls on Thursday before returning home to beat the Pistons on Friday night. The win on Friday kept the Pistons without a win and helped the Thunder keep pace in the Northwest Division.

The Minnesota Timberwolves maintained their lead in the division with 96-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on a last-second layup by Chase Budinger. The Denver Nuggets also won their third consecutive game, rolling past the Utah Jazz to win 104-84 on Friday night.

In other notable games around the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers put aside their internal drama to run past the Golden State Warriors, 101-77. In the East, the New York Knicks remained undefeated by beating the Dallas Mavericks, 104-94. The Miami Heat took care of the Atlanta Hawks, 95-89 and the Boston Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-100.

Check out the Sports Illustrated NBA scoreboard for all of the Friday night finals.