Nuggets stay atop West, best Spurs for fifth straight victory
Nikola Jokic scored 31 points as Denver beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday in Austin, Texas, as the teams drew a record crowd in the Spurs’ bid to broaden their regional fan base.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who won their fifth in a row and 11th in 12 games to stay atop the Western Conference. Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points, and Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama each added 17 for San Antonio, which lost its third in a row.
The game drew 16,223 fans — an attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center. Denver shot 55.1 percent and led by as many as 21 points. The Spurs got as close as 81-77 with 1:23 left in third.
■ Pelicans 112, Clippers 104: At New Orleans, Zion Williamson scored 34 points for New Orleans, which won for the fifth time in six games and pulled within two games of the Clippers for the West’s No. 4 seed. Paul George had 26 points for Los Angeles, which was without James Harden (left shoulder strain) for a second straight game.
■ Magic 113, Raptors 103: At Toronto, Paolo Banchero had 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Orlando, which won for the seventh time in nine games and handed Toronto its sixth straight loss and eighth in nine games. Gary
Trent Jr. scored 31 points for the Raptors, who were without five injured regulars.
■ Heat 108, Pistons 95: At Detroit, Bam Adebayo had 22 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which scored 33 points off 18 Detroit turnovers and halted a four-game skid. Simone Fontecchio scored 24 points for the Pistons, who were bidding for their first three-game win streak since 2021-22.
■ Jazz 124, Hawks 122: At Salt Lake City, Keyonte George scored 25 points for Utah, which didn’t trail in the fourth quarter and halted a three-game skid. Dejounte Murray had 33 points and nine assists for Atlanta in its third straight loss.
■ Suns 107, Hornets 96: At Charlotte, N.C., Devin Booker had 21 points and 11 assists for Phoenix, which led by 25 entering the fourth quarter. Charlotte has alternated wins and losses for its past five games.
G League
■ Warriors 102, Ignite 88: At Santa Cruz, Calif., Kendric Davis had 21 points to lead six double-figure scorers for Santa Cruz (28-16), which didn’t trail in the second half of its fifth straight win. London Johnson scored 19 points to pace the Ignite (6-39) in their ninth loss in a row and 30th in 32 games.
From staff and wire reports