NBA roundup: Nuggets hold off Sixers for 4th straight win
Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists for his 29th tripledouble of the season, leading the host Denver Nuggets to a 116-111 victory over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Jamal Murray added 19 points, Bruce Brown scored 18, Michael Porter Jr. supplied 15 and Aaron Gordon 12 for Denver. The Nuggets have won four straight.
Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points, Paul
Reed and Tobias Harris had 16 points apiece and Jalen McDaniels finished with 14 for Philadelphia. Joel Embiid (calf) and James Harden (Achilles) didn’t play for the Sixers, who have lost three straight but nearly rallied to win it late in the game.
Denver led by 20 in the fourth quarter before the 76ers’ bench led a 16-2 run that sliced the deficit to 112-107 with 1:23 left. Philadelphia’s Montrezl Harrell dunked to make it 114-111 with 28.9 seconds left, but Jeff Green hit two free throws with 13.3 seconds left to seal it.
Knicks 137, Rockets 115
Immanuel Quickley scored a careerhigh 40 points and New York snapped a three-game skid with a victory over visiting Houston.
Quickley finished 14 of 18 from the field and drilled five 3-pointers to lead the Knicks. Julius Randle added 26 points while RJ Barrett scored 19 to co-author the runaway win over the Rockets, who fell to 0-4 on their current five-game road trip. Kevin Porter Jr. led Houston with 26 points while Jalen Green added 19 points and Kenyon Martin Jr. 18. Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds plus six assists.
Bucks 126, Pistons 117
Khris Middleton poured in 34 points and Milwaukee continued its dominance over host Detroit.
Milwaukee has won 17 of the last 18 meetings against its Central Division rival and swept the four-game season series. Detroit has lost its last six games and 17 of its last 18 outings. Brook Lopez had 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Jevon Carter supplied 22 points for the Bucks.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game with right knee soreness, and Jrue Holiday took the night off due to personal reasons.
Mavericks 127, Pacers 104
Luka Doncic scored 25 points and Jaden Hardy added 20 off the bench as Dallas snapped a four-game losing streak with a rout of short-handed Indiana in Indianapolis.
Kyrie Irving had 16 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 for Dallas, which shot 56.6 percent from the field and 18 of 37 (48.6 percent) from 3-point range. Indiana trailed by as many as 31 and lost its third straight despite rookie Bennedict Mathurin’s 26 points.