Nikola Jokic moved to No. 3 in career triple-doubles with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists at Cleveland, but his Denver Nuggets couldn’t withstand the host Cavaliers’ 3-point barrage and lost 126-114 on Thursday night.
Jokic’s 139th career triple-double broke a tie with Magic Johnson on the all-time list. It was also his second triple-double with 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds this season.
The Cleveland quartet of Donovan Mitchell (28 points), Darius Garland (24), Caris LeVert (21) and Evan Mobley (20), however, responded by combining to make 17 treys and rack up 93 points.
The Cavaliers earned their third win in a row. The Nuggets have alternated losses and wins for nine games.
Mavericks 137, Wizards 101
Luka Doncic recorded his first triple double of the season as Dallas won its sixth straight game, a rout of host Washington.
Doncic finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 78th regular-season triple-double. Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 25 points for the Mavericks, who have won 10 of 11 games, and former Wizards center Daniel Gafford scored 16 points off the bench.
Malcolm Brogdon and Marvin Bagley III netted 16 points apiece and Carlton Carrington added 15 for the Wizards, who tied the franchise record with their 16th straight defeat within one season.
Warriors 99, Rockets 93
Jonathan Kuminga registered a career-high 33 points, Andrew Wiggins went for 23 and Golden State beat Houston for the 15th consecutive time, winning in San Francisco.
With Stephen Curry resting sore knees and Draymond Green dealing with a painful calf, Golden State used a 21-4 run bridging the second and third quarters to take a lead it never relinquished en route to snapping a five-game losing streak.
Attempting to beat the Warriors for the first time since February 2020, the Rockets got 16 points from Alperen Sengun and 15 from Dillon Brooks in a balanced attack while dropping their second straight.
Knicks 125, Hornets 121
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his 12th consecutive double-double to lead New York’s easy victory over visiting Charlotte.
Towns racked up 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting overall to go along with 16 rebounds for New York, which had all five of its starters score in double figures. OG Anunoby netted 25 points, followed by Jalen Brunson (24 points), Mikal Bridges (19) and Josh Hart (18). Hart added 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Hornets got 26 points and six rebounds from Brandon Miller but were outshot 53.9 percent to 44.9 percent from the field in what ended up being their seventh loss in a row. Vasilije Micic went for 14 points and 12 assists, and Seth Curry totaled 18 points off the bench.
Thunder 129, Raptors 92
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as visiting Oklahoma City routed Toronto.
Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder, who have won two games in a row and six of their past seven. Isaiah Joe contributed 16 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 rebounds and six assists.
RJ Barrett registered 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who had a four-game home winning streak snapped. Scottie Barnes added 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Pelicans 126, Suns 124
Brandon Ingram scored 29 points, CJ McCollum had 25 and host New Orleans ended a nine-game losing streak by defeating Phoenix.
McCollum scored on a drive to break a tie in the last minute, then fed Trey Murphy III for a dunk and a 125-121 lead with 14 seconds left. Murphy logged 19 points and Dejounte Murray had 17 for the Pelicans.
Devin Booker netted 28 points and Bradley Beal scored 24 for the Suns, who had won three of their past four games.
Grizzlies 115, Kings 110
Memphis got 60 points from its reserves and survived losing star Ja Morant to a late-game ejection in defeating visiting Sacramento.
Marcus Smart had 18 points off the bench and starter Desmond Bane also scored 18 to lead the Grizzlies, who won their sixth consecutive home game. Santi Aldama contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds. Morant was ejected after his second technical during a span of 82 seconds in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento was led by DeMar DeRozan, who had a game-high 26 points, and Malik Monk, who scored 23. De’Aaron Fox had 18 points, six rebounds and six steals, and Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Bulls 139, Spurs 124
Nikola Vucevic poured in a season-high 39 points and Ayo Dosunmu added a season-best 27 points to go with 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double as Chicago defeated host San Antonio.
The Bulls led by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter after fending off a tepid San Antonio run late in the third period. The Spurs pared the margin to 130-122 on two Keldon Johnson free throws with 3:18 remaining, but Chicago reeled off nine straight points, capped by Vucevic’s banked layup with 1:31 left, to cement the win.
Keldon Johnson logged 28 points off the bench for the Spurs. Devin Vassell had 17 points and Jeremy Sochan amassed 16 points and 14 rebounds. San Antonio played without star center Victor Wembanyama (sore back).
–Field Level Media