Jamaica big winner at 2018 World Travel Awards
Jamaica and Jamaican companies emerged the big winners at the just concluded World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony held in Lisbon, Portugal last night, by winning eight of the coveted awards.
Notably, Jamaica received the World's Leading Beach Destination and World's Leading Cruise Destination for 2018, a release from the tourism ministry disclosed.
In highlighting the significance of the awards, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett who along with Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), John Lynch were present at the Gala, said: “I am truly proud to have been able share in this moment which highlights that Jamaica's tourism product is of the highest quality and remains top of mind for millions of visitors who come to our shore.
“Jamaica competed with the best of the best across the globe and has emerged a global winner acknowledged for the hard work and innovation being done in the sector.”
Delano Seiveright, senior advisor/strategist in the ministry noted that several Jamaican entities received the remaining awards, to include, "the World's Leading Luxury Hotel Villa, 2018 - Fleming Villa at GoldenEye, Jamaica; World's Leading Villa Resort 2018 - Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica; World's Leading All-inclusive Company 2018- Sandals Resorts International; World's Leading Family Resort Brand 2018 - Beaches Resorts; World's Leading Caribbean Attraction Company 2018 – Island Routes Caribbean Adventures and World's Leading Adventure Tour Operator 2018 - Chukka Caribbean Adventures."
The ministry said the event marks the climax of the WTA Grand Tour 2018 — an annual search for the finest travel and tourism organisations in the world. Government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media from across the globe were in attendance.
The WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.**********************************
“Jamaica is poised for exponential growth in tourism and with this growth we will seek to be more innovative and provide more to our discerning visitors who come to get a taste of all the things we have to offer,” Bartlett pointed out.
Bartlett will travel to Istanbul, Turkey to speak at the third UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: For the Benefit of All, which will be hosted by the Government of Turkey, during the period December 3- 5, 2018.
Bartlett returns to the island on December 06.
Deputy Premier announces delay of 100% service charge
The Deputy Premier and Minister of Border Control and Employment Services announced on Saturday, the delayed commencement of the Hotel and Restaurant (Service Charge) Ordinance 2018.
The delay is being carried out to enable further public education and readiness for the new regime as well as to make any required legislative clarifications by way of amendments to avoid ambiguity and ensure proper understanding of and compliance with the Ordinance.
In the meantime, service charge will continue to be collected as currently provided under existing law.
Deputy Premier Astwood responded further in a release today which reads and I quote:
The decision to delay the Service Charge (Hotel and Restaurant) Ordinance start date was an important one to safeguard the rights of our workers and to achieve a smoother implementation whilst protecting the objective of the Bill which is to ensure that the largest work force are greater benefactors of our most lucrative Industry. We wish to assure all workers in the Hospitality Industry that this is by no means a denial but a short delay of this benefit.
We have passed a Bill that achieves this, and also one that protects the Operators from what would have been loss revenue with the implementation of a facility fee for up to 5% which is more than the 4% of the service charge split under the current law.
We are pleased that even ahead of the official start date, registrations were being received by my Ministry who has the responsibility for labour and is properly placed with its management and oversight.
We are however disappointed by the actions of a number of our people and PNP operatives who continue to try to undermine the implementation of this benefit and encouraging operators of Restaurants in particular to not cooperate.
We remained baffled by the few members of the House of Assembly who thought the benefit too good for the hard workers in the Industry and who continue to fight something that is good for our people and in the most underhanded way.
The Hospitality Sector employs the majority of workers in the Turks and Caicos; it is a lucrative sector and those who work hard in the Industry must be further incentivized. We are not asking Ors to but guests who no doubt believe that workers are already receiving the service charge. I wish to remind us all, that all Laws are always under review and we maintain that the Bill is not flawed but certainly will be improved following the consideration of these final submissions.
Despite the consultation on this matter beginning in 2015, we have received some late submissions including from the diverse villa rental sector, that we believe are worthy of consideration and which will help to tighten the Bill to ensure its objective is achieved and there must be further education and clarification on these new proposed inclusions.
Despite the criticism that we know was sure to come, as a mature Government it is important that we allow additional time to complete this process and to include any further ideas that will help to enhance the Bill.
We recognize that persons are disappointed with the delay but also wish to further clarify that there would not have been a major increase seen in pay slips in December if at all as the December 1st deadline was in respect of bookings made after this date and TCI has a history of the average bookings being made 30 to 90 days before travel.
We wish to remind everyone that despite the rhetoric and attempts to change facts, the record accurately reflects that not one amendment was made or suggested on the floor of the House save for those by the Government and furnished to the Clerk the day before the Debate for circulation. During the Debate not one member of the Opposition or Independent members made any substantive motion to amend and to suggest otherwise is to mislead the people of this country.
The PNP were largely calling for the exclusion of the expatriate workers from the scheme and we remain oppose to this as it is important to compensate all that work hard in this Industry as we expect all to perform to high standards. We remain concerned about those who contributed opposing arguments to the Debate and who continue to have a vested financial interest.
We are committed to the full implementation of the Service Charge (Hotel and Restaurant) Ordinance and its new start date of February 1, 2019 which will allow any proposed amendments to be debated and passed in the House of Assembly.
Massive fire at Grand Turk dumpsite
In breaking news, RTC has learned that there is a massive fire at the Grand Turk dumpsite.
It’s being reported that the fire has caused explosions and falling debris.
The Ministry of Health has informed us that they are aware that there is a fire at the Grand Turk dumpsite and that they are working closely with the fire department to contain the fire.
A ministry of health spokesperson said, “In the interim, we advise all residents and businesses in close proximity to the dumpsite to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed and if anyone experience any breathing problems they should seek medical attention from their health care provider.”
It’s being reported that the fire is burning in the area where vehicles are dumped.
A reliable source told RTC that a firetrack did arrive on the scene to provide assistance.
We will provide further updates as it becomes available surrounding this breaking story.
26th Meeting of Cabinet
His Excellency the Governor, Dr John Freeman, chaired the 26th meeting
of the Cabinet on Monday, 19 November 2018, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Minister of Education, Youth,
Culture and Library Services
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Agreed to the "Treatment of All-Inclusive Resorts”
paper to advance the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (Taxation) (Amnesty)
Bill 2018 to the House of Assembly.
· Received a paper presented by the Hon. Premier, as
Minister of Finance, on the draft consultancy report on the
redevelopment and modernization of South Dock, Providenciales. Cabinet
noted the recommendations of the Board of Directors of the TCI Ports
Authority in relation to the report;
· Approved the appointment of Mr. Ricardo D. Gardiner as
the Opposition’s appointed Member on the Local Government Review and
Modernization Committee;
· Approved the draft Home Owner’s Policy which includes
incentives to first time and existing homeowners to be implemented with
effect from 1 April 2019;
· Approved the appointment of the Commissioner of Labour as
the Registrar of Trade Unions in accordance with Section 5 of the Trade
Unions Ordinance;
· Agreed to the Jury (Amendment) Bill 2018 for advancement
to the House of Assembly.
· Received as up-date from the Hon. Premier on the TCI
National Disaster Recovery Task Force on the work of the Task Force;
· Advised His Excellency the Governor to agree to execute
the framework agreement on compensations for compulsory acquisition of
land by the Government.
· Noted the financial performance of the TCI Statutory
Bodies for the period April – June 2018 as reported by the Accountant
General in the 1st Quarter Financial Report 2018/19 submitted in
accordance with Section 148 (1) of the Public Finance Management
Regulations;
· Agreed for Invest TCI and Attorney General’s Chambers
to commence negotiations, on a conditional basis, between TCIG and
Windward Long Bay Ltd. on the proposed South Bank Resort and Marina
Project;
· Approved a draft TCIG Increment Policy paper governing
the implementation of increments for the TCI Public Service;
· Received an update from the Premier and the Ministry of
Finance on the critical work outstanding with regards to the EU Code of
Conduct Group: the COCG's response to TCIG's latest correspondence,
policy decisions made and the upcoming legislation to be presented to
Cabinet;
· Received an update from Her Excellency the Deputy Governor on
the visit of the EU Ambassador visit last week.
Aretha Franklin's Detroit mansion sells for $300,000
Aretha Franklin's mansion in Detroit has reportedly been sold for $300,000 (£233,964).
The late singer died of pancreatic cancer in August in her Detroit riverfront apartment at the age of 76.
According to public records, her former 5,600-square-foot 1927 brick home, adjacent to the Detroit Golf Club, was sold last month, The Detroit News reports.
The newspaper says Franklin bought the home in 1993 but nearly lost it in 2008 due to unpaid property taxes.
Her 4,148-square-foot Colonial-style house in suburban Detroit's Bloomfield Township is still listed for $800,000 (£623,904).
Franklin estate personal representative Sabrina Garrett-Owens said "there are no other properties" that were owned by the Queen of Soul.
Tributes flooded in for the "boundary breaking" soul legend after her death, with Barack Obama and wife Michelle describing her as "divine and unmatched".
Another former US president, Bill Clinton, said in a joint statement with wife Hillary that Franklin was "one of America's greatest national treasures".
In a statement, her family labelled her as "the matriarch and rock of our family", and said her death was "one of the darkest moments of our lives".
This week's NFL Roundup
Philip Rivers threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns while also setting an NFL record for consecutive completions to start a game, and the Los Angeles Chargers overcame a double-digit deficit and rolled to a 45-10 victory Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in Carson, Calif.
Rivers completed his first 25 pass attempts against the Cardinals, breaking the record of 22 set by the Washington Redskins’ Mark Brunell in 2006. Rivers also tied the record for consecutive completions overall with Ryan Tannehill, who set his mark over consecutive games.
Rivers finished 28 of 29 and was given the fourth quarter off. He also set a single-game record for completion rate at 96.6 percent (minimum 11 attempts). His only incompletion came late in the third quarter as he attempted a short pass while getting hit as he threw.
The Chargers found themselves in a 10-0 hole in the first quarter, after the Cardinals (2-9) got a 25-yard Josh Rosen-to-Larry Fitzgerald TD pass and a 30-yard Phil Dawson field goal. Rivers led Los Angeles (8-3) to 45 unanswered points from there, 28 coming in the second quarter alone.
Vikings 24, Packers 17
In what was practically an elimination game for the NFC playoff race, Minnesota dominated Green Bay en route to a win at Minneapolis.
Kirk Cousins completed 29 of 38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings (6-4-1) moved into the NFC’s top wild-card position. Adam Thielen tortured the Packers (4-6-1) for eight receptions, 125 yards and one touchdown.
With injuries galore, the Packers needed a big game from Aaron Rodgers. Instead, the quarterback was 17 of 28 for 198 yards and one touchdown. Green Bay fell to 0-6 on the road, including losses at the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota in the past five weeks.
Colts 27, Dolphins 24
Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes, and Adam Vinatieri booted a game-winning, 32-yard field goal on the final play as host Indianapolis rallied to defeat Miami.
The Colts (6-5) have won five straight games. Miami (5-6) lost for the fourth time in five games. Indianapolis trailed 24-14 with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before Luck, who has a streak of eight straight games with at least three TD passes, led the comeback. He completed 30 of 37 passes for 343 yards, overcoming two interceptions.
His biggest play came on third-and-9 from the Indianapolis 43 on what became the game-winning drive. Luck narrowly escaped a sack and tossed a 34-yard pass to Chester Rogers to the Miami 23, setting up the winning field goal.
Broncos 24, Steelers 17
Nose tackle Shelby Harris intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in the end zone with 1:07 left, and host Denver beat Pittsburgh.
Case Keenum passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Phillip Lindsay had 110 yards rushing and a score and Emmanuel Sanders had seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (5-6).
It was the second straight game in which the Broncos beat a team entering on a six-game win streak. The Steelers (7-3-1) committed four turnovers. Roethlisberger was 41 of 56 for 462 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions, and JuJu Smith-Schuster had 13 receptions for 189 yards and a 97-yard score.
Seahawks 30, Panthers 27
Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 31-yard field goal on the final play as Seattle defeated Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
Seattle (6-5) scored 10 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes to capture a matchup of two teams likely to be jockeying for wild-card positioning in the NFC. The Panthers (6-5) have lost three in a row.
Carolina kicker Graham Gano was wide right on a 52-yard field goal attempt with 1:40 left. Seattle, without any timeouts, took over at its 42-yard line. On third down, Russell Wilson threw a 43-yard strike to Tyler Lockett to take the ball to the Carolina 10, setting up Janikowski.
Eagles 25, Giants 22
Jake Elliott kicked three field goals, including a 43-yarder with 22 seconds remaining, to lift host Philadelphia past New York.
Josh Adams rushed for a touchdown and Carson Wentz threw for a score as the Eagles (5-6) snapped a two-game losing streak. Philadelphia also defeated New York (3-8) for the fifth straight game.
Giants rookie Saquon Barkley rushed 13 times for 101 yards and a touchdown while also catching seven passes for 41 yards and a score.
Patriots 27, Jets 13
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes and became the NFL’s career leader in total yards passing for the regular season and postseason combined, and New England overcame a slew of penalties to beat New York in East Rutherford, N.J.
Brady completed 20 of 31 passes for 283 yards as New England (8-3) beat the Jets (3-8) for the 13th time in the past 15 meetings. Brady entered the game 147 yards shy of passing Peyton Manning’s career mark of 79,279 and accomplished the feat on a 4-yard pass to rookie Sony Michel in the second quarter.
He also reached the 3,000-passing-yard mark for the 16th time, tying Manning for the second-most behind Brett Favre’s 18 seasons. Brady reached 3,000 yards on a 17-yard pass to Josh Gordon early in the fourth.
Bills 24, Jaguars 21
Josh Allen totaled 259 yards and two touchdowns for Buffalo in a victory over Jacksonville at Orchard Park, N.Y. Buffalo’s rookie quarterback returned after missing four games with an elbow injury and led the Bills (4-7) to a second straight win.
Allen completed 8 of 19 passes for 160 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Robert Foster. He also ran 13 times for 99 yards to set a franchise record for quarterback rushing, adding a scoring run.
The Jaguars (3-8) were doomed by penalties (10 for 90 yards) and ineffective play from Blake Bortles (12 of 23 for 127 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) in their seventh straight loss. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette and Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson were ejected after exchanging punches in the third quarter.
Ravens 34, Raiders 17
Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for one touchdown and passed for another while improving to 2-0 as a starter in host Baltimore’s victory over Oakland.
Jackson, started for the second consecutive week because of a hip injury to Joe Flacco and helped the Ravens (6-5) strengthen their playoff hopes. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 178 yards with two interceptions and rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries. Fellow rookie Gus Edwards gained 118 yards on 23 carries.
Baltimore made Jackson’s job easier with a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown. Derek Carr completed 16 of 34 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (2-9), who finished with just 249 total yards, including 67 rushing.
Browns 35, Bengals 20
Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes, and Cleveland scored on its first four possessions en route to a victory at Cincinnati.
The win was the first for the Browns on the road since an overtime victory against Baltimore on Oct. 1, 2015. They had lost 25 straight away from home, one short of the record set by the Detroit Lions (2007-10). The victory also marked the first time the Browns won back-to-back games since 2014, when they won three straight.
The Browns (4-6-1) were in control and looked like they would waltz to the win, especially after starting Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with a thumb injury. However, the Browns’ offense stalled trying to establish the run game in the second half, and the Bengals (5-6) found new life in backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who entered the game after Dalton was injured.
Buccaneers 27, 49ers 9
Jameis Winston made a successful return to the starting lineup, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns in leading host Tampa Bay over San Francisco.
Winston, who had been benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick after a four-interception game in Week 8, played error-free ball in helping the Buccaneers (4-7) snap a four-game losing streak.
Rookie Dante Pettis scored his second NFL touchdown for the 49ers (2-9), who were coming off a bye and took their second consecutive defeat. The loss came in the wake of second-year linebacker Reuben Foster being released by the 49ers following a domestic-violence accusation at the team hotel on Saturday night.
Glasgow University to pay slavery profit reparations to the University of the West Indies
In September, after a year-long study discovered that Glasgow University benefited from the equivalent of tens of millions of pounds donated from the profits of slavery, the university announced a programme of “reparative justice”, which will now include the University of the West Indies (UWI).
The report found that, although the university itself “adopted a clear anti-slavery position”, during the 18th and 19th centuries it received gifts and bequests from people connected to slavery.
Prof Sir Anton Muscatelli, the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “This report has been an important undertaking and commitment to find out if the university benefited from slavery in the past. Although the university never owned enslaved people or traded in the goods they produced, it is now clear we received significant financial support from people whose wealth came from slavery.”
The report concluded that the university benefited by between £16.7 million (US$21.4 million) and £198 million (US$254 million), depending on how the amount is updated to its present-day value.
Prof Sir Hilary Beckles, the vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies, welcomed the report, saying: “I celebrate colleagues in Glasgow for taking these first steps and keenly anticipate working through next steps.”
According to Beckles, speaking recently in Jamaica, these “next steps” now include £200 million in reparation payments to the University of the West Indies.
He said the University of Glasgow and UWI are currently drafting a memorandum of understanding, and the term ‘reparatory justice’ is expected to be included.
The £200 million would be a combination of cash and kind.
“We are not on the street corners asking for handouts. We are looking for partnerships and development,” Beckles said.
One of the projects in which the University of Glasgow has reportedly shown interest involves research in chronic diseases in the Caribbean, including hypertension, diabetes, and childhood obesity.
“They are looking at the possibility of partnering with us and having a massive institute for chronic disease research that is going to prevent the proliferation of these diseases in the future,” Beckles noted.
He did not explain why the University of Glasgow had decided to confer the entire maximum current value of its slavery profits on the UWI.
Dolce & Gabbana show cancelled over 'racism' incident
Dolce & Gabbana has apologised after being accused of making racist remarks about China on social media - but claims its accounts were hacked.
Chinese celebrities threatened to boycott a fashion show scheduled for Wednesday night after screenshots circulated on social media appeared to show co-founder Stefano Gabbana referring to China with crude terms and emojis.
The luxury fashion house later said the Shanghai bonanza - The Great Show, which was meant to be a tribute to China - had been called off, reportedly by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Shanghai.
D&G's reputation in the country had already been dented as it released three promo videos ahead of the event showing an Asian model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks.
The narrator offered seemingly patronising advice on how to eat pizza, cannoli and spaghetti, and appeared to mispronounce the brand's name, with some interpreting it as mocking the way Chinese people say Dolce & Gabbana.
Fashion fans on social media were not impressed with the videos, with the topic trending on China's version of Twitter, Weibo, hours before the show was due to start.
Mr Gabbana then appeared to plunge his company into even hotter water as he replied to the controversy in what looked like a private message with London-based fashion blogger Michaela Tranova.
Screenshots of the message showed Mr Gabbano using five poo emojis to say in any future interviews he "will say that the country of poo is China".
He then accused the Chinese of being "ignorant dirty smelling mafia" before saying he was not afraid of Ms Tranova posting the exchange on social media.
The fashion designer then apologised as he posted the screenshot with a big red "Not Me" over it, saying his Instagram account had been hacked and that "I love China and the Chinese culture".
Many of China's top celebrities and D&G fans said they did not believe him and would be boycotting his show.
Singer Kerry Wang, a Dolce brand ambassador, said she would not be attending and modelling agency China Bentley confirmed 24 of its models had pulled out of the show before it was postponed.
In a statement, Dolce & Gabbana said: "Our dream was to bring to Shanghai a tribute event dedicated to China which tells our history and vision.
"It was not simply a fashion show, but something that we created especially with love and passion for China and all the people around the world who loves Dolce & Gabbana."
Again, people were not satisfied with the explanation, with Chinese-French model Estelle Chen - who was meant to be in the show - saying the incident was "disrespectful and racist".
"You don't love China, you love money," she wrote.
"China is rich yes but China is rich in its values, its culture and its people and they won't spend a penny on a brand that does not respect that."
Other models and event staff posted images of their event badges with "not me" written in red letters.
The incident comes five years after security guards at a Dolce & Gabbana store in Hong Kong tried to stop locals, but not overseas or mainland China customers, from taking photos.
The Chop-Off Cooking Challenge will showcase the best in local cuisine
The Third Annual Turks and Caicos Food and Culture Festival will see two days of activities that celebrate local cuisine while highlighting TCI culture and heritage.
The festival kicks off with the Chop Off Cooking Challenge on Friday, November 30th at the Ports of Call Courtyard in Providenciales.
The Chop Off is a 3-round cooking competition where top chefs from around the country will have have a limited time to create phenomenal dishes using a basket of unknown ingredients--also known as the mystery basket. Each round will call for a different course and chefs will have to turn out creations that excite the crowd and the judges until there is only only culinary master left standing.
This year, four chefs will compete.
Chef Gregory Lightbourne is representing Providenciales.
Chef Jenny Talbot is team North Caicos.
Chef Ronieka Harvey will bring flavors from South Caicos.
And Chef Jago Moore is doing it big for the nation’s capital, Grand Turk.
The Turks and Caicos Food and Culture Festival is the brainchild of Nikita “Chef Nik” Skippings: Culinary Ambassador of the TCI and the owner and proprietor of Crackpot Kitchen enterprises.
Son of Smokey’s on Da Beach founder, Aldon “Smokey” Smith, cooking runs in Chef Nik’s blood. He incorporates his father’s Lobsterfest into day 2 of the Turks and Caicos Food and Culture Festival.
Chef Nik explained that the addition of a Providenciales-based chef to this year’s Chop Off is sure to shake things up.
Through the competition, he seeks to create a platform for chefs islandwide to show off their skills and build their businesses.
Last year’s Chop Off champion won a brand new car courtesy of Kia Motors and overall prizes with a cash valued amount of over $70,000. Chef Nik said the rewards for this year’s winner will be even bigger.
A panel of judges will decide who takes home the Chop Off Champion title.
This year’s judges include Nikheel Advani, COO of Grace Bay Resorts, Mrs. Deleriece Hall, Country Manager of Flow TCI, Mr. Bradley Theodore, a world-renowned artist from the TCI and Mrs. Joanne Hagan who will represent the Shore Club, The Palms and the Sands.
Tickets are on sale now. Standard $50. VIP $85.
This week's NBA game round-up
LeBron James scored 32 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a come-from-behind 109-105 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday in his return to Cleveland.
The Lakers, sparked by James, went on a 16-3 run late in the fourth quarter to erase a 99-91 Cavaliers lead. All five Los Angeles starters scored in double figures, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13 off the bench.
The sellout crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena gave James a rousing standing ovation during the team’s introduction, thanking him for bringing Cleveland its first championship — a memorable title over Golden State in 2016, ending a 52-year drought.
After the game, James said, “To come back and get the reception that I got tonight, it means a lot to not only myself, but for my family and friends that were here tonight, and my family that’s back home in L.A. as well.”
Thunder 123, Warriors 95
Dennis Schroder scored 10 of his game-high 32 points in a second-quarter run that gave Oklahoma City the lead for good in a blowout of Golden State at Oakland, Calif. The Warriors have lost four straight for the first time under head coach Steve Kerr.
Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double (11 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists), Steven Adams and Jerami Grant had double-doubles, and Paul George poured in 25 points as the Thunder used balance to overcome a two-man show by Golden State’s Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson (27 points apiece).
The only downside for Oklahoma City was an ugly injury sustained by Hamidou Diallo. The rookie landed awkwardly on his left leg midway through the fourth quarter and was taken off on a stretcher.
Rockets 126, Pistons 124
James Harden scored 29 of his game-high 43 points in the second half, and Houston extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over visiting Detroit.
Harden finished 10 of 20 from the floor and 19 of 19 from the foul line to offset a strong performance from Pistons forward Blake Griffin, who scored 19 fourth-quarter points en route to a 37-point, 11-rebound effort. Griffin hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts but also committed nine turnovers.
Andre Drummond added a double-double for the Pistons with 20 points and 11 rebounds. His counterpart for Houston, Clint Capela, also recorded a double-double (27 points, 15 boards).
76ers 121, Pelicans 120
Joel Embiid outdueled Anthony Davis as host Philadelphia extended its winning streak to four games and ended New Orleans’ streak at three.
Embiid had 31 points and 19 rebounds, Ben Simmons added 22 points, Landry Shamet came off the bench to score 15, and Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick and Wilson Chandler scored 13 each.
Davis, who scored his 10,000th career point, finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds but missed a free throw that would have tied it with 2.5 seconds left. Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun More scored 30 apiece, and Holiday added 10 assists for the Pelicans, who had won six of their past seven.
Grizzlies 104, Spurs 103
Marc Gasol converted the game-tying and winning free throws with 0.7 seconds to play as part of his 20-point, 10-rebound performance, and Mike Conley poured in 30 points with nine assists as visiting Memphis outlasted San Antonio.
The lead see-sawed over the final 3 1/2 minutes until San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan canned a contested jumper over Conley with 1.2 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Memphis got the ball to Gasol, who was fouled by San Antonio’s Rudy Gay with 0.7 seconds to play and calmly made the free throws.
JaMychal Green added 12 points off the bench for Memphis, which has won five games in a row and seven of its past eight. DeRozan led the Spurs with 24 points and Gay added 21 for San Antonio, which has lost five of its past six games.
Knicks 117, Celtics 109
New York stunned host Boston with a 27-7 flurry in the second quarter, then held on for victory over the struggling defending Eastern Conference runners-up.
Trey Burke, Noah Vonleh and Enes Kanter all recorded double-doubles as New York, which had lost six straight, dropped Boston back to .500 at 9-9.
Burke led all scorers with 29 points to go with a season-best 11 assists for New York, which had lost four straight on the road. Kyrie Irving had a 22-point, 13-assist double-double for the Celtics, who have lost three straight overall and two in a row at home.
Bucks 143, Trail Blazers 100
Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 33 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists as Milwaukee pounded visiting Portland.
Khris Middleton added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks, who won their third straight game, leading by as much as 46 in the fourth quarter.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 22 points for the Trail Blazers, who played the second of back-to-back games after a 118-114 road win against the Knicks on Tuesday night.
Nuggets 103, Timberwolves 101
Jamal Murray scored 18 points, including two free throws with 6.8 seconds left, and Denver beat Minnesota at Minneapolis.
Paul Millsap scored 12 of his game-high 25 points during a decisive third quarter, and Gary Harris had 17 points for Denver.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick Rose had 20 points off the bench for Minnesota.
Hornets 127, Pacers 109
Kemba Walker was good but not great, yet the rest of the Charlotte team responded with one of its best performances of the season in a rout of visiting Indiana.
Walker, the NBA’s leading scorer at 29.6 points per game, finished with 16 points and 11 assists for his first double-double of the season, sitting out the entire fourth quarter after the Hornets led by as many as 26.
Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets with 21 points, including five 3-pointers on a night when Charlotte hit 18 3-pointers, two shy of a franchise record. The Pacers were without their leading scorer, Victor Oladipo (knee), for the second straight game.
Raptors 124, Hawks 108
Kyle Lowry had a triple-double, and Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 24 points as Toronto won at Atlanta, handing the Hawks their ninth consecutive defeat.
The Raptors won their third straight and played without Kawhi Leonard, who has not played in any of the team’s second games in back-to-back situations this season. Lowry scored 21 points to go with 12 rebounds and 17 assists, the latter matching his season high.
Toronto also got 22 points from Pascal Siakam, one shy of his career high, and 19 points and nine rebounds from Serge Ibaka. Atlanta got a season-high 26 points from Jeremy Lin. Vince Carter scored 14 against his former club, including his 25,000th career point. He is the 22nd NBA player to reach the milestone.
Kings 119, Jazz 110
Willie Cauley-Stein scored 23 points, while De’Aaron Fox added 17 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds to help Sacramento pull away for a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Nemanja Bjelica added 18 points, which included a trio of critical 3-pointers, for the Kings. Sacramento prevailed after shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range.
Donovan Mitchell poured in 35 points to lead Utah. Jae Crowder added 16 points off the bench, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 13 points and 15 rebounds. The Jazz lost for the fourth time in five games.
Mavericks 119, Nets 113
A fourth-quarter burst from reserves J.J. Barea and Devin Harris allowed Dallas to record a victory over visiting Brooklyn.
Harris and Barea scored Dallas’ first 12 points of the fourth quarter and combined for 17 in a row going back to the third. Their outburst paced a 16-6 Mavericks run for a 103-93 advantage after the Nets had fought back from a 14-point deficit to tie the game.
Barea and Harris each scored 18 for Dallas, while Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 28 points and was also clutch late in a close game, contributing seven points in the final 6:35. Brooklyn was led by Allen Crabbe’s 27 points.
Bulls 124, Suns 116
Zach LaVine scored 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and Bulls held on for a win over visiting Phoenix.
Jabari Parker added 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Chicago, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Ryan Arcidiacono (14 points), Antonio Blakeney (14), Wendell Carter Jr. (14) and Justin Holiday (11) also scored in double digits for the Bulls.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points and six assists, and Deandre Ayton recorded his 10th double-double in 17 games, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds, plus five assists. Phoenix lost its third consecutive game and dropped to 0-8 on the road.