Nets overcome another Jokic gem, beat Nuggets
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and the visiting 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 FinneySmith and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 points each for Brooklyn, which has won five of its past six games.
Bridges and Dinwid- die, acquired in trades last month that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix and Ky- rie 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 triple-double of the season but missed a contested 14-foot jumper with five 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.
“Tough loss,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Our guys fought back, gave ourselves a chance at the end.”
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.
“We started to fly around, 15 turnovers we produced tonight, our ability to be disruptive,” Vaughn said. “We stayed together for an impressive win on the road.”
Denver's Jamal Murray, who finished with 16 points, was forced to sit out the fourth quarter because of left knee soreness.
76ERS 112, WIZARDS 93 >> Joel Embiid scored 34 points, James Harden had 18 points and 14 assists and host Philadelphia cruised
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GB to a wire-to-wire win over 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 playin tournament. CAVALIERS 114, HORNETS 108 >> Darius Garland had 28 points, Donovan Mitchell added 23 and visiting Cleveland overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Charlotte for its fourth win in the last five games. Evan Mobley added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who trailed most of the game. Garland shot 8 of 20 from the field and was 10 of 13 from the free-throw 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.
THUNDER 102, SPURS 90 >> Jalen Williams scored 21 points and visiting Oklahoma City used a balanced effort on offense without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (injury management) to beat the San Antonio as it competes for a berth in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Ousmane Dieng had 17 points and Josh Giddey added 17 for the Thunder, who won their second in a row and fifth in six games. Oklahoma City tied Utah for 10th place in the West at 33-35, but the Thunder hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 2-1. San Antonio's Zach Collins had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth career double-double. Devonte' Graham added 20 points.
PELICANS 127, TRAIL BLAZERS 110 >> Trey Murphy III hit a career-best nine 3-pointers and had a career-high 41 points for host New Orleans. Murphy also had a couple baskets of the high-flying variety, scoring his final points on a driving, two-handed reverse dunk before checking out of the game to an ovation. CJ McCollum had 22 points and 11 assists for New Orleans. as it tries to stay in contention for a Western Conference playoff berth. New Orleans was without highscoring wing Brandon Ingram (ankle). Portland was without star guard Damian Lillard (calf tightness). Anfernee Simons scored 17 for the Trail Blazers, Shaedon Sharpe and Kevin Knox each scored 14.