Nuggets halt Warriors’ winning streak at 11
DeRozan keeps Raptors rolling with conquest of Sixers . Olapido leads Nets over Pacers in OT
The Denver Nuggets limited the Golden State Warriors to 3-for-27 on three-point shooting Saturday, stunning the defending NBA champions 96-81 on the second night of back-to-backs for both teams.
The loss ended the Warriors’ 11-game winning streak on the eve of their showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
Coming off a tremendous defensive effort in a 102-85 win at Portland on Friday night, the Nuggets were even better less than 24 hours later, harassing Warriors stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson into a combined 12-for-38 shooting, including 1-for-15 on three-pointers.
Gary Harris led five players in double figures with 19 points for the Nuggets, who were thumped 127-108 at home by the Warriors earlier this season when Golden State matched its season-high with 18 three-pointers.
Raptors 102, 76ers 86
DeMar DeRozan, who scored a career-best 45 points Thursday against the Philadelphia, came back with 29 points in the rematch.
The Raptors have won six in a row and 12 of their past 13 games while the 76ers have lost five in a row and nine of their past 10.
The Raptors are 18-1 against the 76ers since 2013-2014.
Dario Saric scored 17 points for Philadelphia in defeat.
Hornets 111, Bucks 106
Dwight Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and Charlotte salvaged a weekend split against Milwaukee.
The Hornets rallied from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter after the Bucks opened the second half with a 19-2 run to make it 73-55.
The Hornets won thanks to free throws, as they attempted 40 free throws to Milwaukee’s 17. Michael Carter-Williams’ two free throws with 8.4 seconds left pushed a two-point lead to 107-103 and then Kemba Walker tacked on four more free throws in the final six seconds.
The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out with soreness in his right knee. Antetokounmpo came into the game as the NBA’s second-leading scorer at 29.6.
Pacers 123, Nets 119 (OT)
Victor Oladipo scored 38 points to go with six assists as Indiana snapped a threegame home losing streak.
Myles Turner added 23 points, nine rebounds and six blocks, which ties a career high.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 26 points and eight assists, and DeMarre Carroll added 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, helping Brooklyn outrebound the Pacers 51-41.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 18 points and eight rebounds despite shooting 7-of-18 from the field.
Celtics 117, Bulls 92
The Celtics hit Chicago with a 38-point third quarter en route to a blowout of the Bulls that ended Boston’s two-game losing streak.
The Celtics led by a point when Jaylen Brown hit a pair of three-pointers to start and finish a 12-0 run over 2:49 early in the quarter, breaking the game open and sending the Bulls to their second straight loss after seven wins in a row.
The 38 points was a third-quarter high for the Celtics, who avenged a loss suffered in Chicago two weeks earlier.
Kyrie Irving, who didn’t play in that first meeting, scored 25 points and dished out seven assists and Brown, who missed the loss in New York with Achilles soreness, scored 20.
Thunder 103, Jazz 89
Russell Westbrook totaled 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season to lead Oklahoma City.
Paul George added 26 points and Carmelo Anthony chipped in 16 points for the Thunder. Oklahoma City beat Utah for the third straight time to win the season series 3-1.
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting after returning from a two-game absence.
Trail Blazers 95, Lakers 92
Maurice Harkless scored 13 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lift Portland to a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Trail Blazers have won 14 straight against the Lakers and eight in a row at Staples Center.
Shabazz Napier started in place of injured leading scorer Damian Lillard and scored 21 points, CJ McCollum scored 17 and Zach Collins contributed 11 off the bench for Portland.
Harkless, who came in averaging 4.9 points, grabbed an offensive rebound, put it back while being fouled and made the free throw with 21.4 seconds left to give Portland a 94-92 lead. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed two three-point tries in the final 10 seconds for the Lakers.
Spurs 108, Kings 99
Being down two of their starters hardly mattered San Antonio against Sacramento.
The Spurs beat Sacramento for the 11th straight time, riding a 29-point, 10-rebound effort from LaMarcus Aldridge, a triple-double from Pau Gasol and terrific guard play.
San Antonio produced 29 assists as a team and committed only eight turnovers.
By doing so, the Spurs survived a night without All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard and starting guard Danny Green. Leonard, who has missed 30 games this season because of right quadriceps tendinopathy, rested as part of his comeback plan. Green had tightness in his left groin.