Nuggets make things tighter in the West

DENVER 100 MINNESOTA 96

Jamal Murray had 22 points to lead six Denver players in double figures, Nikola Jokic wrapped things up with a late tip-in and the Nuggets defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 100-96 on Thursday night in a pivotal matchup between teams vying for a playoff spot.

The victory moved Denver (4435) into a tie, record-wise, with Minnesota for the eighth spot with three games remaining. Both are a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jokic finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while reserve Devin Harris added 20 for the Nuggets. The playoff jockeying between these two teams could go down to the wire with Minnesota hosting Denver in the regular-season finale on Wednesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds before fouling out with 1:46 remaining. Denver made six straight free throws in the final two minutes.

at Indiana 126, Golden State 106:

Bojan Bogdanovic had 28 points, Victor Oladipo scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half and the playoff-bound Pacers swept the short-handed defending NBA champions for the first time since 2011-12. Kevin Durant had 27 points, five rebounds and seven assists, but Golden State’s three-game winning streak ended.

at Cleveland 119, Washington 115:

LeBron James scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and brought the Cavaliers back from a 17-point deficit to stun the Wizards and maintain the No. 3 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers trailed 104-87 with 7:35 left before storming back behind James, who added 14 assists, nine rebounds to give coach Tyronn Lue a win in his return after missing nine games due to health reasons.

at Houston 96, Portland 94:

Chris Paul made an off-balance layup with 0.8 seconds left to lift the Rockets, who had a 24-point lead in the first half. Portland’s Damian Lillard sat out after spraining his left ankle Tuesday against Dallas.

Brooklyn 119, at Milwaukee 111:

Allen Crabbe scored 25 points and made two three-pointers in the closing minutes of a tight game, and the Nets shot 48% from behind the three-point arc. Khris Middleton scored 31 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks.

at Utah 117, Clippers 95