Daniels flirts with first triple-double

Australian rookie Dyson Daniels has come up just short of the first triple-double of his burgeoning NBA career as the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Toronto Raptors 126-108.

CJ McCollum (conditioning), Brandon Ingram (toe injury) and Naji Marshall (illness) sat out Thursday's game (AEDT), opening the door for 19-year-old Daniels to take charge in the back-court after coming off the bench.

The Australian (14 points, eight rebounds and a team-high nine assists) only became more integral once the Pels lost Herb Jones to an ankle injury in the third quarter, when Daniels forced a Toronto timeout with two big plays in quick succession.

Daniels sunk a driving lay-up after teammate Trey Murphy III missed a dunk, and then set Jonas Valanciunas up for a three as the Pels stretched their lead to 30 points.

The Raptors went on an 11-0 run late in the third and then continued to apply pressure after the final charge, cutting what was once a 31-point lead to 11 in the dying minutes.

But Zion Williamson (33 points, 10 rebounds) helped his side shake the Canadians off and record a fourth win from five games.

Had he come up with two more rebounds and one more assist, Daniels would have become the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double and only the fifth teenager ever to pull off the rare stat line.

A double-double from Josh Giddey helped the Oklahoma City Thunder overcome the absence of marquee man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and fight back to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 119-111.

The Spurs led by as many as 20 points early in the third quarter before Giddey combined with Jalen Williams (27 points, six rebounds) and Lu Dort (23 points) to orchestrate a comeback.

The Australian pulled down twice as many rebounds as his next-most prolific teammate, finishing with 14 to go with his 14 points. 

After trailing for the entire second and third quarters, the Thunder snatched the lead back early in the fourth but the Spurs gave chase.

Giddey tied the scores at 102-102 with a floater only 20 seconds after coming back on in the final period and the Spurs never again led.

Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets overcame the absence of Ben Simmons (calf injury) to defeat the Washington Wizards 113-107.

The resurgent Simmons will miss at least the next two games with the injury, sustained in the second quarter of the Nets' win against Orlando on Tuesday (AEDT).

In his absence, Kevin Durant led the way with 39 points against the Wizards, while Royce O'Neale approached triple-double territory (8 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds).

All going to plan, Simmons will return to the fray against the Charlotte Hornets next Thursday.