JaVale McGee has played just seven games for the Phoenix Suns and has already become a fan favorite in the desert. At 7-feet (2.13 meters) tall with long arms, long legs and a tendency to throw his body all over the court, the veteran's stints in the game are never boring.

McGee had emphatic blocks on back-to-back possessions to energize the Suns late in the third quarter, which helped the team rally for a 123-111 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

"Defensively, he's a big dude," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "He's long and athletic and his ability to distract shots, even if he doesn't block it, really helps us."

Devin Booker led the Suns with 27 points while Landry Shamet added 19 off the bench. Phoenix has won three straight games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this season, 107-104 on Thursday.

Kenrich Williams scored nine of his 13 points in the final period for the Thunder, who haven't beaten anybody in their eight games this season except the vaunted Lakers – both times while rallying from enormous deficits, and both times with LeBron James sidelined. James sat out the rematch with an abdominal strain.

"We respect their talent, but with that being said, we want to prove ourselves," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who capped his performance with a dazzling three-pointer from the half-court logo with 1:18 to play. "They're a team that has a lot of guys that have done a lot of good things, but we want to prove ourselves and compete."

Jordan Clarkson scored 30 points and the Utah Jazz blew away the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter for a 116-98 victory on Thursday despite the absence of Donovan Mitchell.

"Everybody just coming up to me and saying, 'J.C., keep shooting, keep shooting. It's gonna happen,'" Clarkson said. "That's why I love this team. I love my teammates, I love the coaching staff, I love this organization. They believe in me and believe in what I can do. It's beautiful."

(With input from AP)