Bridges’s 25 points help Nets withstand late rally
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and the Brooklyn Nets withstood a late rally and another triple-double by Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-120 on Sunday.
Nic Claxton had 20 points and Dorian Finney-smith and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 points each for Brooklyn, which has won five of its last six games.
Bridges and Dinwiddie, acquired in trades last month that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix and Kyrie Irving to Dallas, have played a key part in Brooklyn’s resurgence even as they’re still adjusting to their new team and teammates.
“Even if we don’t know what we’re doing sometimes, just scrambling, all five guys help each other,” Bridges said. “Sometimes, it’s not going to be perfect, but I think just the next guy stepping up is the biggest thing.”
Jokic had 35 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists for his league-leading 27th tripledouble of the season but missed a contested 14-foot jumper with 5 seconds left that would have given the Nuggets the lead.
Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points for Denver, which matched a season high with its third consecutive loss.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn described his team's third quarter, in which it outscored the Nuggets 37-18 and shot 63%, as one of the most impressive quarters he’s seen in his time with the team.
76ers 112, Wizards 93: Joel Embiid scored 34 points, James Harden had 18 points and 14 assists and Philadelphia cruised to a wire-to-wire win over the fading Washington. Tobias Harris added 11 points and De’anthony Melton 10 for the 76ers (45-22), who have won five in a row to keep pressure on Milwaukee and Boston for the top two seeds in a crowded Eastern Conference. Washington (31-37) got a career-high 25 points from Corey Kispert and 13 from Bradley Beal, but dropped its fifth game in its last six. The Wizards also fell out of a tie for the 10th and final spot in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament.
Cavaliers 114, Hornets 108: Darius Garland had 28 points, Donovan Mitchell added 23 and Cleveland overcame a 16-point second-half deficit for its fourth win in the last five games. Evan Mobley added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers (43-27), who trailed most of the game. Garland, who sat out Friday night’s loss to Miami with a quad injury, shot 8 of 20 from the field and was 10 of 13 from the foul line, including a free throw with 10.7 seconds left to seal the win. Terry Rozier had 27 points to lead the Hornets, who were playing their second game in less than 24 hours. P.J. Washington added 19 points and Nick Richards had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte (22-48).