Jamal Murray poured in a career-best 55 points to lead the Nuggets to a 132-121 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Denver’s eighth straight victory.
Murray’s output is the third most in Nuggets’ history. David Thompson scored a franchise-record 73 on the final day of the 1977-78 season when he was outdueled by George Gervin for the scoring title. Nikola Jokic’s 56 points against Washington on Dec. 7 of this season ranks second.
Murray knocked down 20 of 36 shots, including 7 of 15 from 3-point range. Jokic added 26 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and Christian Braun had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets.
Anfernee Simons scored 26 points as Portland lost its third straight after winning six in a row. Rookie Donovan Clingan had 17 points and a career-best 20 rebounds and Jabari Walker also scored 17 points for the Trail Blazers.
Knicks 149, Hawks 148 (OT)
Jalen Brunson hit the game-winning shot with 11 seconds left in overtime for host New York, which overcame a five-point deficit in the extra session to edge Atlanta in the highest-scoring NBA game of the season.
Karl-Anthony Towns posted 44 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who enter the All-Star break with nine wins in their last 11 games. Brunson had 36 points and eight assists, and Josh Hart added 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Trae Young had 38 points and 19 assists for the Hawks, who forced overtime when Georges Niang sank a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Caris LeVert notched 20 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta, which didn’t lead until overtime.
Bucks 103, Timberwolves 101
Brook Lopez sank a pair of free throws with 10.9 seconds to go, and Milwaukee held on for a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Gary Trent Jr. finished with 21 points off the bench for Milwaukee, which played without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (hamstring). Kyle Kuzma registered 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards scored 28 points but missed 23 of 33 shots for Minnesota, but he missed two shots in the final seconds. Naz Reid (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (20 points, 14 rebounds) each recorded a double-double.
Celtics 116, Spurs 103
Jayson Tatum had 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead Boston to a victory over visiting San Antonio.
Kristaps Porzingis added 29 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who have won seven of their last eight games. Boston also received 19 points, seven rebounds and nine assists from Derrick White, and six points plus 10 boards from Al Horford. The Celtics were without starters Jaylen Brown (knee) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder).
De’Aaron Fox led the San Antonio offense with 23 points. Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots, while Harrison Barnes added 14 points and seven rebounds. The Spurs, who trailed by 24 at one point, forced 17 Boston turnovers.
Pacers 134, Wizards 130 (OT)
Obi Toppin had 31 points and 10 rebounds off the bench Wednesday, helping the visiting Indiana Pacers rally for a 134-130 overtime win over the Washington Wizards.
Bennedict Mathurin added 28 points, while Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 and dished seven assists as the Pacers snapped a two-game losing skid. Pascal Siakam had 15 points, T.J. McConnell chipped in 10 with nine assists and Thomas Bryant led the team with 11 rebounds.
Jordan Poole paced Washington with 42 points, followed by Corey Kispert’s 21 and Carlton Carrington’s 18. Kyshawn George added 14 points and nine rebounds and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 12 points and six assists as the Wizards dropped their fourth consecutive game.
Rockets 119, Suns 111
Tari Eason scored 25 points, Jalen Green added 22 and Dillon Brooks drilled a pair of late 3-pointers to help host Houston hold off short-handed Phoenix.
Amen Thompson posted his fourth career triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) and Alperen Sengun (17 points, 13 rebounds) added a double-double for the Rockets, who scored 28 points off 18 Phoenix turnovers and converted 17 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.
Kevin Durant was brilliant in defeat, pairing a game-high 37 points with a team-leading nine assists for the Suns, who were without Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen in the second game of a back-to-back. Bol Bol added 15 points for the Suns, who shot 51.7 percent from the field.
Magic 102, Hornets 86
Paolo Banchero collected 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lift host Orlando over Charlotte to improve the Magic to 3-0 against the Hornets this season.
Banchero sank 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range for the Magic, who broke open a close game by outscoring the Hornets 33-19 in the third quarter. Orlando’s Anthony Black made 8 of 13 shots to highlight his 18-point performance off the bench.
Charlotte’s Miles Bridges contributed 19 points and eight rebounds in a bid to overcome the absence of leading scorer LaMelo Ball (ankle). The Hornets have lost nine of 10.
Cavaliers 131, Raptors 108
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points and visiting Cleveland dominated Toronto to win its fourth straight game.
De’Andre Hunter put up 18 points, Sam Merrill scored 16 points and Darius Garland added 15 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who completed a four-game sweep of the season series.
RJ Barrett registered 27 points for the Raptors, who have lost five of their past six. Scottie Barnes added 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots.
Thunder 115, Heat 101
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points to help lift Oklahoma City to a home win over Miami.
The Thunder, who trailed by as many as 21 in the first half, extended their winning streak to seven. The Heat have dropped three consecutive games. Oklahoma City seized control with a 24-0 run to start the fourth, powered by six 3-pointers — two each from Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Joe.
Gilgeous-Alexander also added nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. Jalen Williams had 18 points and Luguentz Dort 17 in the win. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 27 points, 13 coming in the first quarter.
Nets 100, 76ers 96
D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points in one of his best games since returning to Brooklyn, which continued its surge by holding on in the final minute to beat visiting Philadelphia.
After shooting 14 of 49 from the field in his previous four games, Russell made 9 of 15 shots and scored his second-most points since being acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers for Dorian Finney-Smith on Dec. 29.
Reserve Trendon Watford tied a season high by contributing eight of his 18 in the fourth quarter as the Nets won their third straight and for the sixth time in seven games. The 76ers held out Joel Embiid (left knee management) on the second night of a back-to-back and were without Tyrese Maxey because of a bruised right knee.
Pistons 128, Bulls 110
Cade Cunningham, heading into his first All-Star appearance, poured in 29 points and handed out seven assists as visiting Detroit defeated Chicago for the second straight night.
Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris had 19 points apiece for the Pistons, while Jalen Duren racked up 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists as Detroit won its fourth straight game. With a 29-26 record, the Pistons will enter the All-Star break with a winning record for the first time since 2009.
Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls, who have lost four in a row, with 23 points and six assists. Nikola Vucevic recorded 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Josh Giddey contributed 17 points.
Kings 119, Pelicans 111
Keon Ellis scored 27 points, DeMar DeRozan added 24 and Sacramento defeated New Orleans, handing the Pelicans their 10th consecutive loss.
Zach LaVine collected 23 and seven assists, Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, and Malik Monk chipped in 17 points for the Kings, who will visit the Pelicans again on Thursday night. Sacramento has won three games in a row.
Zion Williamson racked up 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III had 19 points, and Jose Alvarado logged 18 points and nine assists.
Jazz 131, Lakers 119
Lauri Markkanen scored 32 points and Utah bounced back to defeat visiting Los Angeles in Salt Lake City.
Jordan Clarkson added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Jazz, who snapped a three-game losing streak that included a 132-113 road defeat against the Lakers on Monday. Keyonte George contributed 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Rui Hachimura scored 19 to lead the Lakers, who saw their six-game winning streak end. LeBron James added 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Luka Doncic put up 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in his second performance with Los Angeles. Doncic shot 6 of 13 from the floor and committed a game-high five turnovers while playing 23 minutes.
Mavericks 111, Warriors 107
Kyrie Irving made a season-high seven 3-pointers and scored 27 of his 42 points in the second half as Dallas beat visiting Golden State..
Klay Thompson and Max Christie scored 17 apiece, Brandon Williams added 12 off the bench, and Naji Marshall had 10 for Dallas, which won for the third time in its last four games. Irving was 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and had seven rebounds.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 25 points and eight assists. Butler had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists; Moses Moody and Gary Payton II scored 14 points apiece off the bench; and Draymond Green added 13 points.
Clippers 128, Grizzlies 114
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points in a season-high 34 minutes, James Harden added 18 points with 10 assists, and Los Angeles earned a victory over visiting at Inglewood, Calif.
Norman Powell also scored 18 points and Ivica Zubac added 12 points with 13 rebounds as the Clippers won their second consecutive game following a three-game losing streak. Harden moved past Hakeem Olajuwon and into sole possession of 13th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,949 points.
Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Jaylen Wells added 18 as the Grizzlies played without Ja Morant (knee) on the second night of a back-to-back. Memphis heads into the All-Star break with losses in two of its last three games.
-Field Level Media
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