Jokic leads Nuggets past Spurs in Austin
Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and the visiting Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in their bid to broaden their regional fan base.
Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 assists for Denver, which won its fifth straight game and for the 11th time in 12 games to remain atop the Western Conference standings.
Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama each had 17 points for San Antonio.
The Spurs have played in Austin the past two seasons to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The move proved a popular choice as the Spurs set the attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center with 16,223 on Friday.
SUNS 107, HORNETS 96 >>
Devin Booker led a balanced Phoenix attack with 21 points and 11 assists as the visiting Suns beat Charlotte for their fourth win in six games. Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal each scored 15 points, and Jusuf Nurkic chipped in with 13 points and 21 rebounds for Phoenix (39-28).
Vasa Micic scored 21 points to lead Charlotte.
MAGIC 113, RAPTORS 103 >>
Franz Wagner scored 19 points, Paolo Banchero had 17 and visiting Orlando beat Toronto, handing the Raptors
their season-worst sixth straight loss. Banchero also had nine rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who have won seven of nine.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 31 points for Toronto.
JAZZ 124, HAWKS 122 >>
Keyonte George scored 25 points and Collin Sexton added 21 to lead host Utah to a victory over Atlanta as the Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak. Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
HEAT 108, PISTONS 95 >> Bam Adebayo had 22 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes, and visiting Miami ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Detroit. Simone Fontecchio scored 24 points and Jalen Duren added 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons. IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT COULD FACTOR INTO PLAYOFF TIEBREAKERS >> Success in the NBA's in-season tournament could factor into playoff tiebreakers as early as next season, the league told its teams in a memo Friday following meetings with the competition committee.
The tournament change being discussed — but not finalized yet — calls for “Round of NBA Cup Advancement” becoming the first playoff tiebreaker, according to the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Such a move would add more weight to the in-season tournament, which will be called the NBA Cup starting with next season.