NBA results | Wednesday
Nuggets 134, Rockets 124
DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 30 points and Denver rolled past Houston in Jamal Murray’s return from a hamstring injury.
Murray scored 16 points after missing Denver’s past 11 games. After starting 6-1 with Murray available, the Nuggets were just 6-5 without their point guard.
It was the third consecutive win for the NBA champion Nuggets, who had lost four of five before their current streak.
Jokic, who was sidelined with a lower back injury in a win Monday at the Los Angeles Clippers, recorded his seventh triple-double of the season. Entering the night, all other NBA players had combined for just eight triple-doubles.
Denver had lost twice to the Rockets in November, including a 19-point loss in Houston five days earlier. The Nuggets improved their NBA-best home record to 9-0 while dropping the Rockets to 0-7 on the road.
Pelicans 124, 76ers 114
NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson scored 33 points and New Orleans beat a Philadelphia squad playing without All-Star center Joel Embiid.
Embiid was ruled out shortly before tip-off because of an illness, forcing Philadelphia to manage without its leading scorer, who is averaging 32 points this season and also gives the Sixers a formidable defensive presence in the paint.
Williamson cashed in on the 7-foot Embiid’s absence, dominating around the basket as he made 11 of his 12 shots. He also hit 11 of 12 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and added six assists. That production gave Williamson at least 26 points and five assists in each of his past six games.
New Orleans, meanwhile, got a key player back. Veteran guard CJ McCollum returned from a partially collapsed lung that had sidelined him for 12 games. McCollum scored 20 points in 28 minutes, including a basket in the final minutes to help put away the game.
Raptors 112, Suns 105
TORONTO — Scottie Barnes scored 23 points, Pascal Siakam had 22 and Toronto ended Phoenix’s winning streak at seven.
Kevin Durant scored 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix after missing two games because of a sore foot, while fellow star Devin Booker had only eight points. The Suns lost for the first time since a Nov. 12 at home against Oklahoma City.
Booker, who beat the New York Knicks on Sunday night with a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, missed a 3 that would have tied it with 50 seconds remaining. Booker shot 2 for 12, going 0 for 4 on 3-pointers.
Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns, who shot 7 for 26 from 3-point range, matching their fewest made 3-pointers this season. Durant shot 2 for 8 from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon and Josh Okogie each scored 10 points.
Magic 139, Wizards 120
ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner scored 31 points, Cole Anthony added 25 and Orlando beat Washington for its eighth straight victory.
Jalen Suggs had 22 points for the Magic, who were eliminated from the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament by a tiebreaker Tuesday night. Their win streak is one short of the franchise record set in 1994 and matched twice in this century.
Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 24 points. Deni Avdija added 22 and Jordan Poole scored 19.
The Magic shot 60.7 % overall and made 17 of 27 from 3-point range in the opener of a twogame series. The teams play again Friday in Orlando.
Grizzlies 105, Jazz 91
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and six blocks, David Roddy added 19 points and Memphis defeated Utah for its first home win of the season.
Desmond Bane added 17 for Memphis, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Ziaire Williams finished with 15 points. Derrick Rose had 14 points and nine assists.
John Collins led the Jazz with 17 points, while Jordan Clarkson and Simone Fontecchio each added 12. Utah was hindered by shooting 38% for the night, while committing 17 turnovers.
Memphis, which was 35-6 at home last season, had lost its first eight home games this year.